1. The Relationship Between Sexting
and Physical Abuse: The New
Vehicle for Covictimization?
Elizabeth Tobin
Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne

2. Theoretical Background:
Texting and Sexting
Texting has been an important topic of research in
recent years (Smith, 2011).
Additionally, sexting (sending sexually explicit video,
picture or text) has been of interest because it has
been found to be prevalent in romantic relationships
(Drouin & Landgraff, 2012).

3. Theoretical Background:
Covictimization
In one study, women who were covictimized received more severe
levels of abuse than those who had only been subjected to either
physical abuse or sexual abuse. Women who were abused in two
forms had more psychological problems than women who were
abused in one severe form (Katz, Moore, and May, 2008).
It was found that covictimized women (those who had experienced
both sexual and physical abuse) were more frequently subjected to
unwanted sexual relations than women in the only unwanted sexual
abuse group (Katz, et. al., 2008).
Katz, Carino, and Hilton found that the perpetration of physical
aggression was positively correlated with the perpetration of sexual
coercion between dating partners (2002).

4. Theoretical Background:
Attachment Anxiety
Sexual motivation is in part prompted by relationship anxiety (Davis,
Shaver, Vernon, 2012).
Anxiously attached men were more likely to take part in sexual
behaviors in order to feel good about themselves, whereas anxiously
attached women were more likely to take part in sexual behaviors to
avoid conflict with their partner (Impett, Gordon, & Strachman, 2008).
Anxiously attached women were not more likely to consent to
unwanted sexual advances, but they did do so for different reasons,
for example to keep their partner happy. This aligns with other
research in the field that says women high in attachment anxiety will
do almost anything to keep their relationship solid (Impett & Peplau,
2002).
Anxiously attached individuals took part in sexting more than those
who were not anxiously attached (Drouin & Landgraff, 2011).

5. Goals of the Current Study
The current study had two main goals:
To determine the prevalence of unwanted yet
consensual sexting (i.e., saying yes even if you do not
want to by sending a sexually explicit video, picture, or
text) among committed relationship partners.
To determine whether unwanted yet consensual sexting
is related to attachment anxiety, physical abuse, and
other coerced sexual behaviors..

6. Hypotheses
We hypothesized that because physical abuse and
sexual coercion are related, then unwanted yet
consensual sexting would be related to physical
abuse as well.
We predicted that attachment anxiety would be
related to unwanted yet consensual sexting among
women.

7. Methods
Participants (N=186) were 81 males and 105 females
The average age was 21.36 years (SD=4.09)
The ethnic breakdown of participants was as following:
78% White
6% African American
4% Biracial
6% Hispanic
2% Asian
1% “other”
Participants completed this survey for partial credit for
research participation in an introductory psychology class.
All participants filled out consent forms and were given
access to an online anonymous survey.

8. Survey Details Outline
Demographic questions
Sexting Behaviors Survey
Experiences in Close Relationships scale (ECR; Wei et al., 2007)

9. Demographic Questions
The survey included basic demographic questions,
such as:
Age
Gender
Class Standing
Major

10. Sexting Behaviors Survey
Sexting Behaviors Online Survey
To determine participants’ unwanted yet consensual sexting behaviors and
frequencies of physical abuse, we asked the following frequency questions:
Unwanted yet consensual sexting within committed relationships-- “How often
have you consented to sexting with a committed relationship partner when you
actually did not want to sext?” on a 6-point Likert scale (ranging from 1 = never
to 6 = very frequently).
Other coerced sexual behaviors-- “How often have you been talked into doing
the following behaviors?” (e.g., sexting, foreplay, sexual intercourse,
masturbation, kissing, and other sexual experiences) on a 6-point Likert scale
(ranging from 1 = never to 6 = very frequently).
Physical abuse in a romantic relationship-- “How often have you been the victim
of physical abuse from a romantic relationship partner?” on a 4-point Likert scale
(ranging from 1 = never to 4 = four or more times).

11. Experiences in Close Relationships
Scale
Experiences in Close Relationships scale (ECR; Wei et al., 2007)
As a measure of attachment, participants completed the 12-item
short form of the ECR
Measures attachment in relationships along two dimensions
Anxious (e.g., “I need a lot of reassurance that I am loved by my
partner”)
Avoidant (e.g., “I try to avoid getting to close to my partner”)
Participants rate their level of agreement with each statements on
a 7-point Likert scale (ranging from 1 = disagree strongly to 7 =
agree strongly). Higher scores indicate higher levels of anxious or
avoidant attachment in close relationships (Anxious Cronbach’s
alpha = .77; Avoidant Cronbach’s alpha = .85.)

12. Frequencies of Being Talked into Various
Sexual Behaviors in Committed
Relationships
Figure 1 Frequencies of Being Talked into Various
Sexual Behaviors in Committed Relationships
100%
Frequency of Behavior
Figure 1 shows the
80%
(in percentages)
frequency of being talked
into various sexual
60%
behaviors. 53.23% of those
40% in committed relationships
had participated in
20% unwanted yet consensual
54% 56% 64% 67% 78%
sexting.
0%
Coerced Sexual Behavior

13. Predictors of Being Talked into Sexting
Based on Gender
Table 1
Predictors of Unwanted Yet Consensual Sexting (N=186)
Men Women
Variable B SE B B SE B
Frequency of
1.57 0.71 0.29* 0.33 0.16 0.2*
Physical Abuse
Anxiously Attached -0.1 0.14 -0.09 0.2 0.11 0.19†
R2 0.08 0.01
F 2.47 4.91
*p < .05. † < .10
For women, there were two unique predictors of participating in unwanted yet consensual
sexting with a committed partner: being anxiously attached and prior physical abuse. In
men, only prior physical abuse was a predictor of unwanted yet consensual sexting.

14. Conclusions
Unwanted yet consensual sexting is somewhat common
among committed relationship partners.
Frequency of physical abuse in any relationship is positively
correlated with unwanted yet consensual sexting.
Unwanted yet consensual sexting is related to attachment
anxiety, but the relationship is significant for women only.
Thus, women who have previously been subjected to
physical abuse and are anxiously attached are more likely
to consent to unwanted sexting.

15. Implications
Prior research has shown that there is a high prevalence of
sex messages that get forwarded, even in committed
relationships (Drouin, Vogel, Surbey, & Stills (2013). Adding
coercion to this may create additional moral and legal issues.
Our findings suggest that there is an additional
(technological) route to physical and sexual covictimization.
Programs with aims to curb sexting among teens (especially
unwanted sexting) should be designed so that attachment
patterns and physical abuse are considered and addressed
concurrently.