Abstract
The general objective of the study was to determine the relationship between the use of sexual content online and sexual attitudes in adolescents. The study design was descriptive-correlational. The sample consisted of 260 adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 from a public high school in Monterrey, Nuevo León. A 95% confidence level and a power level of 90% were estimated. A sociodemographic data sheet and the instrument for the use of sexual content on the Internet and the scale of sexual attitudes were applied. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used, as well as the Spearman correlation coefficient and the Mann-Whitney U test. The mean age of the adolescents was 16 years (SD=1.22), 78% of the participants were male. It was identified that 33% of the participants use the Internet for sexual content online and 90% of these prefer to do so alone and at home. A significant relationship was found between sexual attitudes and the use of sexual content online by adolescents (rs=.189, p< .01), no significant difference was found in the time and frequency that adolescents spend using sexual content according to the adolescent's gender (p= .587). No significant relationship was found between sexual attitudes and the use of sexual content online in male adolescents (p= .242). It was identified that 100% of the students had access to the Internet through a computer, cell phone or tablet. Therefore, it can be observed that the Internet is increasingly accessible to adolescents, so it is necessary to propose online intervention strategies to minimize the risk they face when using information and communication technologies.
Notes
References:
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
Benavides, Castillo, González, Onofre & Valdez, (2015) Internet and sexual risk behavior for HIV in young people. Rev. Enfermería Global. 38, 151-159.
AIDS Prevention and Control (CENSIDA, 2013). HIV in Mexico. Ministry of Health.
Statistics for World Internet Day (2015).
The State of World Population (2013) Motherhood in childhood UNFPA United Nations Population Fund.
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Newsletter (January 2016).
Gutiérrez, R., Rendón, A., Vega, L., (2013) Internet and cell phone use associated with situations of risk of sexual exploitation of adolescents. Journal of Mental Health.36:41-48.
McCormick, D., & Evans, A. (2012). Searching for sexually explicit materials on the Internet: An exploratory study of college students' behavior and attitudes. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 30(2), 101.
Peter, J. & Valkenburg, M. (2008) Adolescnts Exposure to Sexual Explicit Internet Material, Sexual Uncertainty and Attitudes Toward Uncommitted Sexual Exploration: Is There a link?CommunicationResearch(35) 579-601.
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Sigma Membership
Tau Alpha
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Descriptive/Correlational
Research Approach
Quantitative Research
Keywords:
Public and Community Health, Promoting Clinical Outcomes, Sexual Attitudes, Adolescent Sexual Attitudes, Online Sexual Content Usage
Recommended Citation
Marquez Vega, Maria Aracely, "Sexual Attitude Towards Adolescents Use of Online Sexual Content" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 62.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/posters_2025/62
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2025-12-05
Sexual Attitude Towards Adolescents Use of Online Sexual Content
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
The general objective of the study was to determine the relationship between the use of sexual content online and sexual attitudes in adolescents. The study design was descriptive-correlational. The sample consisted of 260 adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 from a public high school in Monterrey, Nuevo León. A 95% confidence level and a power level of 90% were estimated. A sociodemographic data sheet and the instrument for the use of sexual content on the Internet and the scale of sexual attitudes were applied. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used, as well as the Spearman correlation coefficient and the Mann-Whitney U test. The mean age of the adolescents was 16 years (SD=1.22), 78% of the participants were male. It was identified that 33% of the participants use the Internet for sexual content online and 90% of these prefer to do so alone and at home. A significant relationship was found between sexual attitudes and the use of sexual content online by adolescents (rs=.189, p< .01), no significant difference was found in the time and frequency that adolescents spend using sexual content according to the adolescent's gender (p= .587). No significant relationship was found between sexual attitudes and the use of sexual content online in male adolescents (p= .242). It was identified that 100% of the students had access to the Internet through a computer, cell phone or tablet. Therefore, it can be observed that the Internet is increasingly accessible to adolescents, so it is necessary to propose online intervention strategies to minimize the risk they face when using information and communication technologies.
Description
This study shows that adolescents are the main users of the Internet and the time they spend using sexual content is increasing because this type of content is more accessible on the Internet. Nursing staff can carry out online interventions focused on the adolescent population with reliable and age-appropriate information, helping to improve adolescents' attitudes in relation to their sexuality and contribute to having responsible and healthy sexual behavior.