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. 2015 Nov;18(11):628-34.
doi: 10.1089/cyber.2015.0334. Epub 2015 Oct 20.

Sexting Among Married Couples: Who Is Doing It, and Are They More Satisfied?

Brandon T McDaniel  1 , Michelle Drouin  2
Affiliations

Sexting Among Married Couples: Who Is Doing It, and Are They More Satisfied?

Brandon T McDaniel et al. Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2015 Nov.

Abstract

This study examined the prevalence and correlates of sexting (i.e., sending sexual messages via mobile phones) within a sample of married/cohabiting couples (180 wives and 175 husbands). Married adults do sext each other, but it is much less common than within young adult relationships, and consists mainly of sexy or intimate talk (29% reported engaging in sexy talk with partners) rather than sexually explicit photos or videos (12% reported sending nude or nearly-nude photos). Sending sexy talk messages was positively related to relationship satisfaction only among those with high levels of avoidance, and sending sexually explicit pictures was related to satisfaction for men, and for women with high levels of attachment anxiety. Additionally, sending sexually explicit pictures was related to greater ambivalence among both men and women. These findings support and extend previous research with young adults.

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Figures

<b>FIG. 1.</b>
FIG. 1.
Predicted values of relationship satisfaction at high and low (1 standard deviation (SD) above and 1 SD below the mean) values of sending sexy messages, moderated by attachment avoidance. High avoidance is 1 SD above the mean (black line), and low anxiety is 1 SD below the mean (gray dashed line).
<b>FIG. 2.</b>
FIG. 2.
Predicted values of relationship satisfaction at high and low (1 SD above and 1 SD below the mean) values of sending photos, moderated by attachment anxiety. High anxiety is 1 SD above the mean (black line), and low anxiety is 1 SD below the mean (gray dashed line).
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