Abstract:
Introduction
There is global concern about the sharing of sexual materials through text messaging
(sexting). Tragic consequences of adolescent vulnerability and lack of discretion have
been reported. Very little is known about the practice of sexting among adolescents in
countries in sub-Saharan Africa and how it relates to the self-esteem of students. This
study explored sexting among senior high school students in Tema, a municipality in
Accra, Ghana.
Methods
This is a self-administered questionnaire survey conducted among forms one(1) students
in six randomly selected public Senior High Schools students in Tema. Students were
selected through systematic random sampling. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate
analysis using logistic regression were used to determine the prevalence of sexting,
explore its determinants and determine the relationship between sexting, sexual behavior
and self-esteem. Self-esteem was assessed using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale
Results
Five hundred and seventy-six students (53% females) students with a mean age of 16
(standard deviation was 1.4) years participated in the survey. About 70% of students own
their own mobile phones. About a quarter (24.7%) admitted to have sent sexual materials
over the phone. Male students (OR=4.18, 95% confidence interval 2.71-6.46, Pvalue<
0.01) and students aged 16yrs or more (OR=1.60, 1.07-2.41, P-value=0.02) were more likely to have sexted than female and students younger than 16 years respectively.
While sexters were 3.79 (CL2.33-6.14, P-value<0.01) more likely to engage in sexual
activity compared to non-sexters. There was no significant association between sexting
and self-esteem (p= 0.46 95% CL 0.50-1.37).
Conclusion
The prevalence of sexting is high in the SHS surveyed and the practice has a relationship
with student engagement in sexual activities. Education authorities need to adopt
strategies to combat the practice. Measures, including policies are needed to protect
students from sexual explicit materials online.
