Heterosexual, Cisgender and Gender and Sexually Diverse Adolescents' Sexting Behaviors: The Role of Body Appreciation

Sexting has become part of the repertoire of adolescents' sexual behaviors, especially among those who identify as gender and sexually diverse. Whereas body dissatisfaction increases during adolescence and is associated with negative sexuality outcomes, little research has examined how body appreciation may contribute to adolescents' sexting. The present study examined associations between body appreciation and sexting behaviors, and whether these differed by gender and sexual orientation, using path analysis in a sample of 2904 adolescents (M_age = 14.53; SD = 0.61) comprised of five groups: heterosexual cisgender and gender and sexually diverse boys (heterosexual cisgender = 1193; gender and sexually diverse = 157), heterosexual cisgender and gender and sexually diverse girls (heterosexual cisgender = 1152; gender and sexually diverse = 320), and non-binary adolescents (n = 18). Lower levels of body appreciation were associated with higher sexting frequency in heterosexual cisgender girls and gender and sexually diverse boys. Adolescents preoccupied with their appearance may use sexting for body image-related validation.