anales de psicología / annals o psychology
2019, ol. 35, nº 2 (may), 214-224
h p://dx.doi.o g/10.6018/analesps.35.2.339831
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Sex ing beha iou in adolescen s:
Pe sonali y p edic o s and psychosocial consequences in a one-yea ollow-up
C is ina Alonso1,2, and Es ella Rome o1
1 Depa men o Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology Uni e si y o San iago de Compos ela, San iago de Compos ela (Spain)
2 Ins i u d’Assi ència Sani à ia, Gi ona (Spain)
Tí ulo: Conduc a de sex ing en adolescen es: p edic o es de pe sonalidad
y consecuencias psicosociales en un año de seguimien o.
Resumen: La elación en e el sex ing y la pe sonalidad en los adolescen-
es ha sido escasamen e in es igada. Además, es no o ia la escasez de es u-
dios longi udinales que abo den los p edic o es y consecuencias del sex-
ing. Es e es udio analiza los da os de 624 adolescen es que ue on e alua-
dos en dos ocasiones (T1 y T2) dis anciadas po un pe íodo de un año, y a
los que se adminis a on cues iona ios pa a medi el sex ing, los asgos de
pe sonalidad del modelo de cinco ac o es (MCF), y posibles consecuen-
cias psicosociales del sex ing (acoso/cibe acoso, bienes a emocional). Los
esul ados indican que mayo ex a e sión y meno amabilidad y esponsa-
bilidad (T1) se elacionan con sex ing (T2). El es udio pe mi e ambién
iden i ica qué ace as especí icas de pe sonalidad (T1) se asocian con el
sex ing egis ado en T2. Además, los análisis de eg esión mues an que la
ex a e sión p edice aumen os en sex ing en e T1 y T2. En cuan o a las
consecuencias, una al a implicación en sex ing T1 p edice descensos en la
ic imización y en las emociones posi i as expe imen adas en e T1 y T2.
Po an o, es e es udio mues a que la pe sonalidad pe mi e p edeci los
cambios en sex ing a lo la go de la adolescencia; el sex ing, a su ez, pa ece
asocia se a consecuencias psicosociales ele an es en es e pe íodo del desa-
ollo.
Palab as cla e: sex ing; adolescen es; p edic o es; modelo de cinco ac o-
es; pe sonalidad; consecuencias; es udio longi udinal.
Abs ac : The ela ionships be ween pe sonali y and sex ing ha e been
sca cely s udied. In addi ion, he sca ci y o longi udinal s udies abou p e-
dic o s and consequences o sex ing is no o ious. This s udy analyzed he
longi udinal da a om 624 adolescen s who we e e alua ed on wo occa-
sions (T1 and T2) sepa a ed by a pe iod o one yea , and o whom ques-
ionnai es we e adminis e ed o measu e sex ing, he pe sonali y ai s o
he i e ac o model (FFM), as well as possible psychosocial consequenc-
es o sex ing. The esul s indica e ha high ex a e sion and low ag eea-
bleness and conscien iousness (T1) a e ela ed o sex ing (T2). In addi ion,
he s udy also allows us o iden i y which speci ic ace s o pe sonali y (T1)
a e associa ed wi h sex ing egis e ed in T2. On he o he hand, eg ession
analyses indica e ha ex a e sion p edic s inc eases in sex ing be ween T1
and T2. As o he ou comes o sex ing, a high in ol emen in sex ing T1
p edic s dec eases in ic imiza ion and in he posi i e emo ions expe i-
enced be ween T1 and T2. The e o e, his s udy shows ha pe sonali y al-
lows o p edic ion o changes in sex ing h oughou adolescence; sex ing,
in u n, seems o be associa ed wi h ele an psychosocial consequences in
his de elopmen al pe iod.
Keywo ds: sex ing; adolescen s; p edic o s; Fi e-Fac o Model; pe sonali-
y; ou comes; longi udinal s udy.
In oduc ion
The In e ne is an ideal si e o socializa ion and in e ac ion
by adolescen s. I is a space whe e hey can communica e
and in e ac wi h hei pee s. Adolescence is a pe iod o g ea
change in e ms o social, physical and pe sonal en i on-
men s, including he phase o sexual de elopmen . One ex-
ample o how he new echnologies and i ual spaces a e
p omo ing and d i ing new o ms o sexual beha iou may
be seen wi h he phenomenon o sex ing (Lenha , 2009),
which consis s o he exchange o sexually explici o p o-
oca i e con en ( ex messages, pho os and ideos) using
sma phones, he In e ne o he social ne wo ks (Mo elli,
Bianchi, Baiocco, Pezzu i & Chi umbolo, 2016). The e a e
many inconsis encies when i comes o de ining sex ing, wi h
some au ho s limi ing i o he sending o sexually explici
pho os o ideos while o he s also include he sending o
sexually p o oca i e ex messages (Mi chel, Finkelho , Jones
& Wolak, 2012). Fu he mo e, di e en ia ion has been made
be ween ac i e sex ing ( he sending o sexually explici imag-
es, ideos o ex messages) and passi e sex ing ( he eceip
* Co espondence add ess [Di ección pa a co espondencia]:
C is ina Alonso. Depa amen o de Psicobiología Psicología Clínica de la
Uni e sidad de San iago de Compos ela. San iago de Compos ela (Spain).
E-mail: c is ina.alonso. ila @usc.es
(A icle ecei ed: 25-08-2018; e ised: 13-11-2018; accep ed: 11-12-2018)
o sexually explici images, ideos o ex messages) (Temple
& Choi, 2014). And some s udies (e.g. Walke , Sanci &
Temple-Smi h, 2011) ha e dis inguished be ween consensual
sex ing ( he olun a y sending o sexual con en ) and non-
consensual sex ing (when an image is inco ec ly used and
sen wi hou pe mission), conside ing his la e o be a o m
o sexual iolence.
In a sys ema ic e iew o he p ac ice o sex ing by ado-
lescen s, he p e alence o his beha iou has been es ima ed
a be ween 7% and 27% in adolescen s aged 12 o 18
(Coope , Quayle, Jonsson & S edin, 2016). Simila ly, in a e-
cen me a-analysis (Madigan, Ly, Rash, Ouy sel & Temple,
2018) i was concluded ha he mean p e alence o ac i e
sex ing, as ound in 39 s udies, was 14.8% o adolescen s
wi h a mean age o 15.16 yea s. Va ia ions in he es ima ed
p e alence o sex ing in you h may be a esul o he he e o-
geneous de ini ions ha a e used, as well as he dis inc in-
s umen s used o assess his beha iou . Howe e , consensus
exis s in he p io esea ch ega ding he belie ha sex ing
beha iou inc eases wi h age (Coope e al., 2016). So, in a
sample o Spanish adolescen s, i has been ound ha 36.1%
engage in sex ing a he age o 17 (Gámez-Guadix, de San-
is eban & Rese , 2017), whe eas in uni e si y samples, he
pe cen ages appa en ly inc ease, eaching igu es as high as
75.7% o he sending o sexually p o oca i e ex messages
(Dele i & Weisski ch, 2013).
Sex ing beha iou in adolescen s: Pe sonali y p edic o s and psychosocial consequences in a one-yea ollow-up 215
anales de psicología / annals o psychology, 2019, ol. 35, nº 2 (may)
Sex ing and pe sonali y
Scien i ic li e a u e has a emp ed o de e mine he ac-
o s ha may de e mine his sex ing beha iou (Hudson &
Fe o, 2015; Vanden Abeele, Campbell, Egge mon & Roe,
2014), and pe sonali y has been s udied, among o he po en-
ial ac o s. Examining pe sonali y may assis in he unde -
s anding o why adolescen s engage in isky beha iou . In
ac , p io esea ch has examined he ela ionship be ween
pe sonali y and isky sexual beha iou in adolescen s (Hoyle,
Fej a & Mille , 2000).
The big i e model (Goldbe g, 1990) has p o en qui e
use ul in many di e en ields o beha iou (Ba le & An-
de son, 2012; Vedel, 2014), and he b oad pe sonali y ai s
p oposed by his model (neu o icism, ex a e sion, openness,
ag eeableness and conscien iousness) ha e also been consid-
e ed o be co ela es o sex ing in some p io s udies. I has
been ound ha high le els o neu o icism and ex a e sion
and low le els o conscien iousness a e associa ed wi h in-
c eased sex ing (Bu y Philips, 2008; Gámez-Guadix, e al.,
2017). Rega ding ag eeableness, a nega i e ela ionship wi h
sex ing has been ound (Dele i & Weisski ch, 2013; Gámez-
Guadix e al., 2017). No signi ican ela ionships be ween
openness and sex ing ha e been seen. Using longi udinal da-
a, Gámez-Guadix & De San is eban (2018) ha e shown ha
low conscien iousness and high ex a e sion in T1 a e asso-
cia ed wi h inc eased sex ing a he one-yea ollow-up.
Despi e his in e es in he big i e, p io s udies ha e no
examined he Fi e-Fac o Model (FFM; McC ae y Cos a,
1996) wi h ega ds o sex ing. This model no only conside s
he gene al domains o pe sonali y, bu i also looks a speci -
ic ace s, pe mi ing a mo e ho ough analysis o he ai s
making up each o he gene al ac o s. Al hough pas s udies
ha e examined mo e speci ic pe sonali y a iables, hey ha e
done so in a non-sys ema ic and poo ly in eg a ed way. So,
sex ing has been ound o be ela ed o di icul ies in emo-
ional compe encies, emo ional awa eness and emo ional
sel -e icacy (Houck e al., 2014), as well as a low capaci y o
sel -con ol (Ke s ens & S ol, 2014), impulsi eness (Baum-
ga ne , Weeda, Van de Heijden & Huizinga, 2014), anxie y
(D ouin & Landg a , 2012) and dep ession (Temple e al.,
2014). The e o e, an o de ed and de ailed analysis o he e-
la ionship be ween he mo e speci ic aspec s o pe sonali y
and sex ing is necessa y. The FFM o e s an ideal amewo k
o o ganize he esul s o pe sonali y wi hin his a ea o
s udy.
Sex ing and psychosocial consequences
Al hough esea che s ha e aken an in e es in hose a -
iables ha a e po en ial p edic o s o sex ing, much less is
known abou i s po en ial consequences. S udies ha e ended
o conside he social and legal consequences o sex ing, bu
hey ha e ailed o look a he psychosocial consequences o
his beha iou . I has been sugges ed ha he unde es ima-
ion o he isks associa ed wi h sex ing may place adoles-
cen s in si ua ions o psychosocial ulne abili y (Faja do,
Go dillo & Regalado, 2013). Cu en ly, s udies a e being un-
de aken o examine he ela ionship be ween sex ing and he
bullying and cybe bullying phenomena. Fo example, Ko-
pecky (2011) ound ha 73% o he adolescen s pa icipa ing
in his s udy epo ed he isk o po en ial in imida ion upon
engaging in sex ing. And Reyns, Bu ek, Henson and Fishe
(2013) ound an inc eased p obabili y o cybe ic imiza ion
in adolescen s engaging in sex ing beha iou . Some esea ch-
e s ha e conside ed he emo ional well-being o adolescen s
who engage in sex ing, wi h somewha inconsis en indings.
Thus, some s udies ha e emphasized he ela ionship be-
ween sex ing, dep ession, anxie y and suicide a emp s (Jas-
so-Med ano, López-Rosales & Gámez-Guadix, 2018; Van
Ouy sel, Van Gool, Ponne & Wal a e, 2014). Bu o he e-
sea che s ha e ailed o ind any associa ions wi h psycholog-
ical well-being (Hudson, 2011). Beyond he limi ed esul s
om p io s udies, i may be hypo hesized ha he images
and ideos used in sex ing can be subsequen ly used o ex-
o ion pu poses, po en ially inc easing he deg ee o
cybe ic imiza ion and u he dec easing he emo ional well-
being o he adolescen s.
A majo limi a ion o he p io esea ch, bo h in e ms o
po en ial de e minan s and consequences, is ha , wi h e y
ew excep ions (Gámez-Guadix & De San is eban, 2018), he
s udies ha e been conduc ed using a c oss sec ional ap-
p oach. The e is he clea need o longi udinal s udies on
his opic in o de o o ganize he a iables in ol ed in sex-
ing acco ding o ime and o p opose heo e ical models on
he causes and consequences o his phenomenon (e.g. Gal-
o an, D ouin & McDaniel, 2018).
Ou s udy
This s udy a emp s o ill his oid in he esea ch on
his a ea, by examining how pe sonali y may p edic changes
in sex ing in adolescen s a e one yea . Unlike o he s udies,
i includes a wide ange o pe sonali y ace s; and, i exam-
ines some o he po en ial consequences o sex ing.
The speci ic objec i es o his s udy a e: 1) o analyze he
ela ionship be ween pe sonali y ea u es o he FFM (do-
mains and ace s) and sex ing beha iou assessed one yea
la e and 2) o de e mine i he big i e ac o s pe mi longi-
udinal p edic ion o changes occu ing in sex ing beha iou
in a one-yea pe iod. Fu he mo e, we p opose he examina-
ion o he po en ial consequences o sex ing, bo h in e ms
o ex e nalizing and in e nalizing dimensions o adolescen
beha iou , speci ically, agg ession- ic imiza ion beha iou
(bo h in-pe son and online) and emo ional well-being. Gi en
he inconsis encies in de ining sex ing, we should no e ha in
his s udy, we conside ac i e and consensual ( olun a y) sex-
ing beha iou , which includes he sending o sexually explic-
i pho os, ideos and ex messages. Fu he mo e, since
some pas s udies ha e sugges ed ha sex ing beha iou is
mo e common in males han in emales, and since he unc-
ions o sex ing may di e o males and emales (Dele i &
216 C is ina Alonso and Es ella Rome o
anales de psicología / annals o psychology, 2019, ol. 35, nº 2 (may)
Weisski ch, 2013), he po en ial mode a ing e ec o gende
on he p edic o s and consequences o sex ing shall be con-
side ed.
Gi en he lack o p e ious longi udinal s udies, he hy-
po heses a e qui e en a i e. Acco ding o pas c oss sec ion-
al esea ch, i is expec ed ha high le els o neu o icism and
ex a e sion, as well as low le els o ag eeableness and con-
scien iousness will be associa ed wi h sex ing (Gámez-
Guadix e al., 2017). When conside ing he speci ic ace s o
he FFM, i is expec ed ha anxie y, dep ession, impulsi i y,
exci emen seeking and especially, he speci ic ace s o he
conscien iousness dimension (i.e. sel -discipline o du i ul-
ness) will be ela ed wi h sex ing beha iou (Baumga ne e
al., 2014; Temple e al., 2014). As o he psychosocial con-
sequences o sex ing, once again, he lack o pas longi udinal
s udies p e en s a well-es ablished hypo hesis. Howe e , i is
expec ed ha adolescen s who engage in sex ing will ha e a
g ea e p obabili y o ic imiza ion and cybe ic imiza ion,
gi en ha some esul s om c oss- sec ional s udies sugges
he po en ial isk o cybe ic imiza ion in adolescen s engag-
ing in sex ing beha iou , as he sexual images sen o o he s
migh be used agains hem (Jasso-Med ano e al., 2018).
Fu he mo e, sex ing may dec ease he emo ional well-being
o adolescen s, as sugges ed by p io c oss sec ional s udies
epo ing ha highe le els o anxie y and dep ession a e as-
socia ed wi h sex ing beha iou (D ouin & Landg a , 2012;
Temple e al., 2014).
Me hodology
Pa icipan s
This wo k is pa o a b oade longi udinal s udy ha was
ini ia ed in 2015 (T1) wi h he assessmen o an inciden al
sample o 910 adolescen s a ending eigh Galician (Spain)
schools. O hese, 624 pa icipan s we e assessed one yea
la e (T2), and hey o m he de ini i e s udy sample. The
pa icipan s we e en olled in a ious cou se yea s o second-
a y educa ion, a ending public schools in u ban and semi-
u ban a eas. O he o e all sample, 55% o he adolescen s
we e emale; he mean age o he pa icipan s is 14.35, wi h a
s anda d de ia ion o 1.55 (age ange om 12 o 19).
As o he los pa icipan da a be ween T1 and T2, a e-
en ion a e o 69% was achie ed. The loss o 31% o he
pa icipan s was due o 1) he impossibili y o ollowing one
o he academic g oups due o da a collec ion di icul ies
caused by class scheduling; 2) he absence o pa icipan s
du ing he second da a collec ion pe iod, due o absen eeism
on he da a collec ion da e, change o school o epe i ion o
academic yea . When compa ing he adolescen s who con-
inued in he s udy wi h hose who did no , i was ound ha
hose who con inued in he s udy had a lowe mean age (F =
38.28, 1/905 gl, p < .001), we e mo e likely o be emale
(Chi-squa e: 5.88, 1 gl, p < .01) and we e mo e likely o ha e
ne e engaged in sex ing beha iou (Chi-squa e = 4.81, 1 gl,
p < .05).
Ins umen s
Measu emen s in T1
FFM domains and ace s. In o de o assess he pe sonali y
ai s, an ab idged e sion o he NEO PI-R o you h was
used (JS NEO-S; O e e al., 2010), consis ing o 150 i ems
ha a e esponded o wi h a Like - ype scale o 5 poin s
anging om comple ely disag ee o comple ely ag ee. The JS NEO
S was de eloped as an adap a ion o he NEO PI-R o
young people (O e e al., 2012), and bo h he ab idged and
he ull e sion ha e been p e iously demons a ed o ha e
sui able psychome ic p ope ies. The use ulness o hese
ques ionnai es o he assessmen o he 5 dimensions and
30 ace s o he FFM has been suppo ed by he esul s o
dis inc s udies (e.g., O e e al., 2010; Alonso & Rome o,
2017). In his s udy, he alpha coe icien s o he domains
ange be ween .81 (Openness) and .90 (Conscien iousness).
The alpha coe icien s o he dis inc ace s ange be ween
.46 (O3-Feelings) and .78 (N3-Dep ession). The alpha coe -
icien s o 24 o he 30 ace s a e equal o g ea e han .60.
Those ace s ha ing coe icien s o less han .60 we e O3-
Feelings (.46), N5-Impulsi iness (.49), A4-Compliance (.50),
N1-Anxie y (.52), N2-Hos ili y (.53), C3-Du i ulness (.56),
C1-Compe ence (.57), E5-Exci emen -seeking (.58) and E1-
Wa m h (.59). These low alues in some o he scales a e o
be expec ed, gi en he educed numbe o i ems, and hese
esul s a e simila o hose o p io s udies (O e e al.,
2010).
Measu emen s in T1 and T2
Sex ing. To assess sex ing, we ha e used he F equency o
Sex ing ques ionnai e (Weisski ch & Dele i, 2011) (See Ap-
pendix). I con ains 5 Like - ype i ems ha ing i e esponse
op ions, wi h a sco e o be ween 0 (Ne e ) and 4 (F equen -
ly). These i ems e e o he sending o sexual pho os o id-
eos o onesel , in linge ie o naked, he sending o sexually
p o oca i e ex messages (Wha sApp, SMS, e c.) o hose
sugges ing he in en o engage in some so o sexual ela-
ion (e.g. “How o en ha e you sen a nude pho o o ideo o you sel
using you cell phone?”). In ou s udy, a eliabili y o .84 was
ound in T1 and o .84 in T2.
Bullying/cybe bullying. To assess bullying beha iou , he
Spanish e sion o he Eu opean Bullying In e en ion P o-
jec Ques ionnai e (EBIPQ) (O ega-Ruiz, O ega y Casas,
2016) was used. I con ains 14 i ems which, in his s udy,
we e used wi h a esponse scale o Ne e -0 imes (0), A ew
imes-Be ween 1 and 2 imes (1), Some imes-Be ween 3 and
5 imes (2), Se e al imes-Be ween 6 and 10 imes (3) and
O en-Mo e han 10 imes (4), and wi h a e e ence pe iod o
he las six mon hs. The ques ionnai e con ains wo dimen-
sions: ic imiza ion and agg ession, wi h an alpha coe icien
o .90 and .91 in T1 espec i ely and wi h alpha coe icien s
o .84 and .82 in T2 espec i ely. Fo bo h dimensions, he
i ems e e o ac ions such as hi ing, insul ing, h ea ening,
Sex ing beha iou in adolescen s: Pe sonali y p edic o s and psychosocial consequences in a one-yea ollow-up 217
anales de psicología / annals o psychology, 2019, ol. 35, nº 2 (may)
obbing, using o ensi e language, excluding o sp eading
umou s (e.g., “Someone has insul ed me”, “I ha e h ea ened some-
one”).
To assess cybe bullying beha iou , he Spanish e sion o
he Eu opean Cybe bullying In e en ion P ojec Ques ion-
nai e (ECIPQ) (Del Rey e al., 2015) was used. The cybe -
bullying scale con ains 22 i ems ha , in his s udy, we e used
wi h a esponse scale o Ne e -0 imes (0), A ew imes-
Be ween 1 and 2 imes (1), Some imes-Be ween 3 and 5
imes (2), Se e al imes-Be ween 6 and 10 imes (3) and O -
en-Mo e han 10 imes (4), and wi h a e e ence pe iod o
he las six mon hs. The ques ionnai e con ains wo dimen-
sions: cybe ic imiza ion and cybe agg ession, wi h alpha co-
e icien s o .87 and .85 espec i ely in T1 and wi h alpha co-
e icien s o .85 and .86 espec i ely in T2. Fo bo h dimen-
sions, he i ems e e o ac ions such as using o ensi e lan-
guage, excluding o sp eading umou s, supplan ing one’s
iden i y, e c., all ia elec onic means (e.g., “Someone has pos ed
pe sonal in o ma ion abou me o e he In e ne ”, “I ha e excluded o
igno ed someone in a social ne wo k o cha ”).
Emo ional well-being. To assess emo ional well-being, he
mos well known indica o s o he ope a ionaliza ion o his
concep we e used: he Posi i e and Nega i e A ec Scale
(PANAS; Wa son, Cla k & Tellegen, 1988) which includes
20 i ems, 10 o which e e o he Posi i e A ec subscale
(e.g. “Exci ed”, “P oud”) and 10 o he Nega i e A ec sub-
scale (e.g. “I i able”, “Fea ul”), measu ed o e he pe iod o
he las yea . This ins umen was p e iously used in Spain
wi h adolescen s, and bo h eliabili y and alidi y we e sup-
po ed (Rome o, Luengo, Gómez-F aguela & Sob al, 2002).
In ou s udy, alpha coe icien s in T1 o .87 we e ound o
Posi i e A ec and .88 o Nega i e A ec and alpha coe i-
cien s in T2 o .85 o Posi i e A ec and .88 o Nega i e
A ec .
P ocedu e
Fou een schools we e con ac ed, o which eigh ag eed
o pa icipa e in he s udy. Ques ionnai es we e comple ed in
he school class ooms be ween Oc obe o 2015 and Feb u-
a y o 2016 in T1 and be ween Oc obe o 2016 and Feb u-
a y o 2017 in T2, unde he supe ision o a esea ch eam
membe and a e ecei ing he pa en al consen and he
consen o he adolescen s. Fi een pe cen o he adoles-
cen s did no e u n he consen o m and we e he e o e
unable o pa icipa e in he s udy. S uden s we e ensu ed ha
he collec ed da a would emain anonymous and con iden-
ial. A sel -gene a ed key (c ea ed by he s uden s) was used
o pai he ques ionnai es co esponding o he same indi-
idual in T1 and T2, wi hou he need o he adolescen ’s
name o appea on he ques ionnai e.
S a is ical analysis
In o de o highligh he s udy objec i es, an analysis o
co ela ions was conduc ed, de e mining he associa ion be-
ween he pe sonali y a iables (domains and ace s) meas-
u ed in T1 and he sex ing measu ed in T1 and T2. Subse-
quen ly, a c oss-sec ional eg ession analysis was pe o med
o analyze how he big i e pe sonali y ai s explain sex ing
beha iou in T1. In o de o de e mine how pe sonali y p e-
dic s changes in sex ing in he one-yea pe iod, a hie a chical
eg ession analysis was ca ied ou using sex ing in T2 as a
c i e ia and con olling o he s abili y o his a iable (au o-
eg essi e e ec s; Selig & Li le, 2012). As o he po en ial
consequences o sex ing, co ela ion analyses we e ca ied
ou be ween sex ing and he po en ial consequences meas-
u ed in bo h ime pe iods. In addi ion, he schema ha is
ypically used in s udies ha examine he p edic ion o
change be ween wo momen s in ime (Newsom, 2015) was
used o examine he po en ial consequences o sex ing du -
ing he ollow-up pe iod: i analysed how T1 sex ing may
p edic po en ial consequences (bullying/cybe bullying and
emo ional well-being), upon con olling o he p io le els
o he same.
Resul s
P io o he cen al analyses o he s udy, a desc ip i e analy-
sis was ca ied ou on he sex ing da a om ou sample. Re-
ga ding he p e alence da a, i was seen ha 39.9% o he
adolescen s making up ou sample engaged in a leas some
sex ing du ing he i s yea o he s udy. Du ing he yea o
ollow-up, 44.4% o he adolescen s engaged in a leas some
sex ing beha iou . On he o he hand, he esul s indica e
ha signi ican di e ences exis be ween males and emales
in T1 sex ing beha iou ; in he male subsample, mo e pa ic-
ipan s engage in sex ing han in he emale subsample (45%
o he males as compa ed o 35% o he emales; Chi-squa e:
7.95, 1 gl, p < .01). In T2, i is also seen ha , wi hin he male
subsample, he e is a g ea e numbe o pa icipan s engaging
in sex ing as compa ed o he emale subsample (49% o he
males e sus 40% o he emales; Chi-squa e: 4.12, 1 gl, p <
.05).
In esponse o objec i e 1 o his s udy, o analyse he e-
la ionship be ween he FFM pe sonali y ai s (domains and
ace s) and he sex ing beha iou assessed one yea la e , an
analysis o co ela ions was ca ied ou be ween he pe sonal-
i y a iables measu ed in T1 and he sex ing beha iou egis-
e ed in T2. The esul s (also including he c oss sec ional
co ela ions be ween pe sonali y and sex ing in T1) a e p e-
sen ed in Table 1.
Table 1. Ze o-o de co ela ions be ween pe sonali y a iables (domains
and ace s) measu ed in T1 and sex ing measu ed in T1 and in T2.
T1 Sex ing
T2 Sex ing
Neu o icism
.05
.06
Anxie y
-.05
-.03
Hos ili y
.11***
.07
Dep ession
.02
.08*
Social anxie y
-.05
-.04
Impulsi eness
.10**
.13***
Vulne abili y o s ess
.09**
.08*
218 C is ina Alonso and Es ella Rome o
anales de psicología / annals o psychology, 2019, ol. 35, nº 2 (may)
T1 Sex ing
T2 Sex ing
Ex a e sion
.02
.08*
Wa m h
-.07*
-.02
G ega iousness
.08*
.06
Asse i eness
-.01
.05
Ac i i y
.03
.07
Exci emen seeking
-.09**
.11**
Posi i e emo ions
-.09**
.02
Openness
-.12***
-.01
Fan asy
-.03
-.01
Aes he ics
-.09**
-.03
Feeling
-.07*
.03
Ac ions
-.01
-.01
Ideas
-.06
.01
Values
-.17***
.01
Ag eeableness
-.27***
-.17***
T us
-.18***
-.06
S aigh o wa dness
-.20***
-.17***
Al uism
-.19***
-.11**
Compliance
-.20***
-.19***
Modes y
-.19***
-.06
Tende mindedness
-.14***
-.07
Conscien iousness
-.23***
-.20***
Compe ence
-.21***
-.22***
O de
-.11***
-.10**
Du i ulness
-.27***
-.11***
Achie emen s i ing
-.19***
-.17***
Sel -discipline
-.16***
-.17***
Delibe a ion
-.14***
-.16***
*p<.05, ** p<.01, *** p<.001
As o he c oss sec ional ela ionships, he sex ing be-
ha iou in T1 ela es wi h lowe sco es on openness, ag eea-
bleness and conscien iousness, aking in o accoun he big
i e pe sonali y ai s. When conside ing he speci ic ace s
o he FFM, he mos in ense co ela ions (signi icance p <
.001) a e ound in hos ili y (posi i e ela ionship), alues
(nega i e ela ionship) and all o he speci ic ace s o he
ag eeableness and conscien iousness dimensions (nega i e
ela ionship).
As o he ela ionships ha a e he speci ic subjec o
his s udy (pe sonali y T1-sex ing in T2), sex ing in T2 is
ound o be ela ed wi h highe sco es on dep ession, impul-
si eness and ulne abili y, wi hin he neu o icism domain. I
is also ela ed wi h highe sco es in he gene al domain o ex-
a e sion. Howe e , aking in o accoun he ace s o his
domain, he only signi ican and posi i e ela ionship is
ound o he exci emen seeking ace . When conside ing
he ag eeableness domain, a signi ican (and nega i e) ela-
ionship is ound o exis be ween sex ing and o e all ag ee-
ableness. Simila ly, sex ing is ela ed wi h lowe sco es in
s aigh o wa dness, al uism and compliance. Sex ing is sig-
ni ican ly and nega i ely ela ed wi h he conscien iousness
domain and wi h he dis inc ace s ha make i up. Ou e-
sul s do no e eal signi ican ela ionships be ween he do-
main and he ace s o openness wi h sex ing beha iou .
I should be no ed ha , al hough signi ican , some o he
co ela ions a e o a low in ensi y; his is he case o he ac-
e s o dep ession and ulne abili y and he gene al dimension
o ex a e sion, which ha e co ela ions o lowe han .10.
Fu he mo e, a c oss-sec ional eg ession was pe o med
in o de o analyse how he i e pe sonali y domains explain
a iance in sex ing in T1, upon con olling o he e ec s o
age and gende (0 = male; 1 = emale). The esul s a e p e-
sen ed in Table 2.
Table 2. Reg ession analysis o he p edic ion o T1 sex ing based on he
big i e pe sonali y domains.
Va iable
β
R
R2
∆R2
S ep 1
.26
.05
.05***
Gende
-.14***
Age
.19***
S ep 2
.35
.12
.07***
Neu o icism
-.01
Ex a e sion
.08*
Openness
-.05
Ag eeableness
-.18***
Conscien iousness
-.11**
*p<.05, ** p<.01, *** p<.001
The esul s indica e ha high ex a e sion and low ag ee-
ableness and conscien iousness signi ican ly p edic sex ing
in T1; he a iance explained by he pe sonali y a iables was
.07.
To examine he change p oduced in sex ing beha iou
be ween T1 and T2, he means we e compa ed using es s
o ela ed g oups. The esul s indica e ha signi ican di e -
ences exis in sex ing beha iou be ween T1 and T2 ( = -
2.65, 601 gl, p < .01; Cohen’s d = .03). The mean sco es in-
dica e ha he sex ing beha iou ends o inc ease be ween
T1 (mean = 6.68) and T2 (mean = 7.08).
In esponse o objec i e 2 ( o de e mine i he big i e
pe mi longi udinal p edic ion o he e olu ion o sex ing
beha iou o e a one yea pe iod), a hie a chical eg ession
analysis was pe o med, using he sex ing beha iou in T2 as
he c i e ia a iable. The age and gende a iables we e in-
oduced in he i s s ep o he equa ion. In he second s ep,
T1 sex ing was in oduced. And inally, in he hi d s ep, he
pe sonali y a iables we e in oduced, speci ically, he i e
gene al pe sonali y domains. In his way, while con olling
o age and gende , and o he s abili y o sex ing, i was
possible o examine whe he he pe sonali y a iables con-
ibu e o p edic ing a change in sex ing be ween T1 and T2.
The esul s a e p esen ed in Table 3.
Table 3. Reg ession analysis o he p edic ion o he change in sex ing be-
ween T1 and T2 based on he big i e pe sonali y domains.
Va iable
β
R
R2
∆R2
S ep 1
Gende
Age
-.12**
.33***
.36
.13
.13***
S ep 2
.47
.22
.09***
T1 Sex ing
.31***
S ep 3
.49
.24
.02**
Neu o icism
.04
Ex a e sion
.11**
Sex ing beha iou in adolescen s: Pe sonali y p edic o s and psychosocial consequences in a one-yea ollow-up 219
anales de psicología / annals o psychology, 2019, ol. 35, nº 2 (may)
Va iable
β
R
R2
∆R2
Openness
.03
Ag eeableness
-.01
Conscien iousness
-.06
*p<.05, ** p<.01, *** p<.001
Resul s o he hie a chical eg ession analysis e eal ha ,
in he i s s ep, gende and age con ibu e signi ican ly o
he p edic ion o T2 sex ing; in he second s ep, T1 sex ing
also p edic s T2 sex ing, wi h a signi ican and posi i e be a,
indica ing a signi ican le el o s abili y be ween T1 and T2.
In he hi d s ep, upon pa ialling ou his s abili y, ex a e -
sion eme ges as a signi ican p edic o o sex ing. The posi-
i e be a sign indica es ha a high deg ee o ex a e sion
p edic s inc eases in sex ing beha iou a he one yea ol-
low-up poin . The inc ease in explained a iance (.02) is
small, bu s a is ically signi ican .
To e i y whe he he p edic i e e ec s may a y based
on gende , he eg ession analysis was epea ed, including he
mul iplica i e in e ac ions gende x pe sonali y ai s (neu o -
icism, ex a e sion, openness, ag eeableness and esponsibil-
i y). None o he in e ac ions we e signi ican .
Wi h ega ds o he po en ial consequences o sex ing,
i s , he co ela ions be ween T1 and T2 sex ing and he c i-
e ia included in his s udy (agg ession- ic imiza ion,
cybe agg ession-cybe ic imiza ion and posi i e and nega i e
emo ions) we e examined, also measu ing hem a bo h mo-
men s. The esul s a e p esen ed in Table 4.
Table 4. Ze o-o de co ela ions be ween sex ing measu ed in T1 and in
T2 and po en ial consequences measu ed in T1 and T2.
T1 Sex ing
T2 Sex ing
T1 Agg ession
.41***
.20***
T2 Agg ession
.17***
.31***
T1 Vic imiza ion
.23***
.09*
T2 Vic imiza ion
.02
.16***
T1 Cybe agg ession
.52***
.16***
T2 Cybe agg ession
.18***
.31***
T1 Cybe ic imiza ion
.45***
.16***
T2 Cybe ic imiza ion
.11**
.26***
T1 Posi i e emo ions
-.08*
-.04
T2 Posi i e emo ions
-.13***
-.08
T1 Nega i e emo ions
.17***
.09*
T2 Nega i e emo ions
.06
.16***
The esul s indica e ha T1 and T2 sex ing a e signi i-
can ly ela ed wi h all o he c i e ia assessed in bo h mo-
men s in ime, wi h a ew excep ions (i.e. he ela ionship be-
ween T1 sex ing and ic imiza ion and nega i e emo ions in
T2; he ela ionship be ween T2 sex ing and posi i e emo-
ions in T1 and T2).
To examine he change aking place in he c i e ia be-
ween T1 and T2, he means we e compa ed using es s o
ela ed g oups. The esul s indica e ha signi ican di e -
ences exis be ween T1 and T2 o in-pe son ic imiza ion (
= 2.61, 595 gl, p < .01; Cohen’s d = .20) and cybe ic imiza-
ion ( = 3.26, 599 gl, p < .001; Cohen’s d = .25); speci ically,
he mean sco es indica e ha ic imiza ion and cybe ic imi-
za ion in T1 (6.49 and 3.37, espec i ely) a e highe han in
T2 (5.85 and 2.59, espec i ely). As o in-pe son agg ession,
he mean sco es indica e ha agg ession in T1 is highe
(4.26) han in T2 (3.62), wi h a = 3.16, 596 gl, p < .001; Co-
hen’s d = .25. Howe e , he esul s indica e ha cybe agg es-
sion does no signi ican ly change, as an a e age, be ween T1
and T2 ( = 1.59, 596 gl, p > .05). As o emo ional well be-
ing, he change be ween T1 and T2 is signi ican , bo h o
posi i e emo ions ( = -5.73, 574 gl, p < .001; Cohen’s d =
.35) as well as o nega i e ones ( = -4.62, 576 gl, p < .001;
Cohen’s d = .18); aking in o accoun he mean sco es, he
posi i e and nega i e emo ions in T1 we e highe (33.56 and
23.76, espec i ely) han in T2 (35.51 and 25.32, espec i e-
ly).
To de e mine i sex ing p edic s he changes occu ing in
hese a iables, a hie a chical eg ession analysis was con-
duc ed using he po en ial consequences in T2 as he c i e ia
a iables. Once again, gende and age a iables we e in o-
duced in he i s s ep. In he second s ep, he po en ial con-
sequences assessed in T1 we e in oduced, o con ol o he
s abili y o hese a iables. And inally, T1 sex ing was in o-
duced in a hi d s ep. These analyses allowed us o de e mine
i T1 sex ing is associa ed wi h changes in he po en ial con-
sequences du ing he T1-T2 pe iod.
In all o he examined a iables, signi ican s abili y e -
ec s we e ob ained om T1 o T2. In he hi d s ep o he
equa ions, no signi ican p edic i e e ec s om sex ing we e
ob ained o he po en ial consequences in he a iables o
agg ession, cybe ic imiza ion, cybe agg ession and nega i e
emo ions. Howe e , signi ican p edic i e e ec s we e ob-
ained o he a iables o ic imiza ion and posi i e emo-
ions. The esul s co esponding o hese wo c i e ia a e p e-
sen ed in Tables 5 and 6.
Table 5. Reg ession analysis o he p edic ion o he change in ic imiza-
ion be ween T1 and T2 based on T1 sex ing.
Va iable
β
R
R2
∆R2
S ep 1
.06
.00
.00
Gende
-.01
Age
.05
S ep 2
.47
.22
.22***
T1 Vic imiza ion
.47***
S ep 3
.49
.23
.01**
T1 Sex ing
-.12***
*p<.05, ** p<.01, *** p<.001
Table 5 e eals ha , in he i s s ep o he equa ion, he
sociodemog aphic a iables (age and gende ) do no con ib-
u e signi ican ly o he p edic ion o he ic imiza ion meas-
u ed in T2. In he second s ep, T1 ic imiza ion appea s as a
p edic o o T2 ic imiza ion and in he hi d s ep o he
equa ion, a e pa ialling ou he p io le els o ic imiza-
ion, i may be obse ed ha T1 sex ing signi ican ly con-
ibu ed o he eg ession model, wi h a nega i e coe icien
in i s p edic ion o ic imiza ion in T2, indica ing ha a high
sco e in T1 sex ing p edic s a dec ease in he ic imiza ion
expe ienced be ween T1 and T2.
220 C is ina Alonso and Es ella Rome o
anales de psicología / annals o psychology, 2019, ol. 35, nº 2 (may)
Table 6. Reg ession analysis o he p edic ion o he change in posi i e
emo ions be ween T1 and T2 based on T1 sex ing.
Va iable
β
R
R2
∆R2
S ep 1
.12
.02
.02*
Gende
-.04
Age
-.11**
S ep 2
.46
.21
.19***
T1 Posi i e emo ions
.43***
S ep 3
.47
.22
.01*
T1 Sex ing
-.10*
*p<.05, ** p<.01, *** p<.001
As o he posi i e emo ions, Table 6 e eals ha age
signi ican ly con ibu es in all o he s eps o he model and
posi i e emo ions in T1 ha e a close ela ionship wi h he
posi i e emo ions assessed one yea la e . Bu u he mo e,
he able e eals ha he inclusion o T1 sex ing in he hi d
s ep o he equa ion may esul in a signi ican inc ease in he
explained a iance: con olling o he s abili y o he c i e ia
a iable, sex ing has a signi ican and nega i e coe icien in
i s p edic ion o posi i e emo ions in T2, so, ha ing a high
sco e in sex ing in T1 p edic s dec eases in he posi i e emo-
ions expe ienced be ween T1 and T2.
The inc ease in a iance explained by T1 sex ing is qui e
small (.01), bo h in ic imiza ion as well as in he posi i e
emo ions, howe e , i is s a is ically signi ican .
All o he eg ession analyses we e epea ed, including
he mul iplie e m gende x T1 sex ing. No signi ican in e -
ac ions we e de ec ed be ween gende and sex ing in any o
he s udied c i e ia: he e ec o sex ing on he s udied a i-
ables does no appea o a y based on gende .
Fu he mo e, he ole o pe sonali y on he p edic ion o
he po en ial consequences o sex ing was also analysed.
Fi s , he co ela ions be ween he big i e pe sonali y ac-
o s1 and he psychosocial c i e ia conside ed in his s udy
we e calcula ed. The esul s a e p esen ed in Table 7.
Table 7. Ze o-o de co ela ions be ween he big i e pe sonali y domains and po en ial consequences o sex ing.
Neu o icism
Ex a e sion
Openness
Ag eeableness
Conscien iousness
T1 Vic imiza ion
.35***
-.03
-.03
-.25***
-.29***
T2 Vic imiza ion
.31***
-.07
.06
-.17***
-.21***
T1 Agg ession
.17***
.06
-.20***
-.44***
-.35***
T2 Agg ession
.15***
.05
-.05
-.34***
-.28***
T1 Cybe ic imiza ion
.16***
.01
-.14***
-.26***
-.24***
T2 Cybe ic imiza ion
.14***
-.07
-.06
-.21***
-.16***
T1 Cybe agg ession
.03
-.01
-.23***
-.31***
-.21***
T2 Cybe agg ession
.10**
-.01
-.07
-.27***
-.20***
T1 Posi i e emo ions
.22***
.43***
.29***
.08*
.23***
T2 Posi i e emo ions
.27***
.33***
.19***
.07
.22***
T1 Nega i e emo ions
-.63***
-.25***
.16***
-.19***
-.29***
T2 Nega i e emo ions
-.51***
-.18***
.16***
-.14***
-.19***
*p<.05, ** p<.01, *** p<.001
The analyses o co ela ion, as shown in he able, e-
ealed he exis ence o signi ican co ela ions be ween he
big i e pe sonali y ac o s and he psychosocial c i e ia; he
highes co ela ions (g ea e han .44) we e es ablished be-
ween neu o icism and T1 nega i e emo ions and ag eeable-
ness and T1 agg ession.
2
Gi en he ela ionships ha ha e been e i ied be ween
he big i e pe sonali y ai s and he po en ial consequences
o sex ing, he eg ession analyses we e epea ed, including
he i e pe sonali y domains, in an in e media e ( hi d) s ep
o he equa ion. The esul s did no e eal subs an ial a ia-
ions. The e ec o sex ing on ic imiza ion and on posi i e
emo ions emains signi ican , e en when con olling o he
e ec o pe sonali y. Sex ing beha iou has a signi ican and
nega i e coe icien in i s p edic ion o ic imiza ion (-12, p
< .01) and on posi i e emo ions (-.10, p < .05).
1
2
The esul s co esponding o he ace s o he FFM a e a ailable upon e-
ques .
Discussion
This s udy was ocused on sex ing beha iou in a sample o
adolescen s, in an a emp o examine bo h i s pe sonali y
p ecu so s and i s po en ial psychosocial consequences.
As o he i s s udy objec i e ( o analyse he ela ion-
ship be ween he FFM pe sonali y ea u es –domains and
ace s- and he sex ing beha iou ha was assessed one yea
la e ), he esul s ob ained on he gene al pe sonali y do-
mains a e cong uen wi h p e ious c oss sec ional s udies
(Gámez-Guadix e al., 2017); ha is, adolescen s engaging in
mo e sex ing beha iou we e ound o ha e highe sco es on
ex a e sion and lowe sco es on ag eeableness and consci-
en iousness when measu ed one yea ea lie ; no signi ican
ela ionship was ound o he openness domain. As o neu-
o icism, he ela ionship wi h he gene al domain is no sig-
ni ican ; howe e , signi ican ela ionships we e ound wi h
some ce ain ace s o his domain. So, adolescen s engaging
in sex ing a e mo e likely o sco e highe on dep ession, im-
pulsi eness and ulne abili y. Thus, i is possible ha adoles-
cen s who a e mo e emo ionally ulne able may use sex ing
as a way o gain he accep ance o hei pee s. Fu he mo e,
Sex ing beha iou in adolescen s: Pe sonali y p edic o s and psychosocial consequences in a one-yea ollow-up 221
anales de psicología / annals o psychology, 2019, ol. 35, nº 2 (may)
he inabili y o con ol hei impulses may con ibu e o he
sending o messages, pho os and ideos, wi hou conside ing
he po en ial consequences. Simila ly, pas s udies ha e e-
ealed he implica ion o impulsi i y on o he isky beha -
iou s (e.g. d ug use) (De Wi , 2009). As o ex a e sion, he
only signi ican ace is he exci emen -seeking, which is he
ace ha is he mos closely ela ed o he need o seek sen-
sa ions and emo ions. Sex ing may espond in pa o his
need o h illing expe iences, as i p o ides in ense sensa-
ions, quickly and easily. In ac , pas esea ch has desc ibed
how sensa ion seeking is associa ed wi h isky sexual beha -
iou (Cha nigo e al., 2013); he associa ion wi h sex ing ap-
pea s o display a simila pa e n. As o ag eeableness, i is
ound ha young people engaging in sex ing end o ha e
low p e ious sco es on ag eeableness. As sugges ed by
Gámez-Guadix e al. (2017), sex ing, like many in e ac ions
wi h he new echnologies, o en akes place in a decon ex u-
alized con ex , wi h adolescen s who a e less ag eeable possi-
bly inding he In e ne o be a com o able en i onmen . In
addi ion, pas esea ch suppo s a ela ionship be ween
ag eeableness and sexual beha iou s; speci ically, i has been
sugges ed ha low le els o ag eeableness a e ela ed wi h in-
c eased isky beha iou (Hoyle e al., 2000). Finally, sex ing
has he mos in ense ela ionship wi h he domain o consci-
en iousness and wi h all o i s co esponding ace s. Based
on he da a ob ained, i can be a i med ha adolescen s en-
gaging in sex ing ha e less con idence in hei skills, a e less
able o o ganize hemsel es, ha e a lowe du i ulness, a lowe
achie emen s i ing, lowe le els o sel -discipline and de-
libe a ion. P io s udies (McC ae, Cos a & Busch, 1986) ha e
es ablished ha indi iduals low in conscien iousness a e less
inhibi ed, mo e hedonis ic and ha e a g ea e in e es in sex;
his would be in acco dance wi h inc eased sex ing beha -
iou , which de ini i ely ep esen s a new way o expe imen -
ing wi h sexuali y.
Thus, his s udy e eals ha adolescen s who engage in
sex ing du ing he second yea o he s udy had p e iously
(one yea ea lie ) sco ed highe on ex a e sion and lowe on
ag eeableness and conscien iousness; hey had also sco ed
highe on some o he speci ic ace s o neu o icism (dep es-
sion, impulsi eness and ulne abili y).
This s udy also a emp s o de e mine whe he o no he
big i e ac o s can p edic changes aking place in sex ing
beha iou o e a one yea pe iod. On he one hand, a ela-
i ely high s abili y has been ound be ween T1 and T2 o
sex ing beha iou , wi h an adolescen who engages in sex ing
being likely o con inue o do so a subsequen imes. On he
o he hand, o he big i e ac o s, ex a e sion is he only
one ha p edic s changes in sex ing a he one yea ollow-
up. As is ypical in his ype o au o- eg essi e model (espe-
cially when he change be ween he wo ime pe iods is
small), he e ec size is no high (Adachi & Willoughby,
2015); howe e , he esul s e eal ha ex a e s ha e a
g ea e p obabili y o inc easing hei sex ing beha iou o e
a one yea pe iod. These esul s a e consis en wi h hose
ound in he longi udinal s udy conduc ed by Gámez-Guadix
and De San is eban (2018). Ou wo k highligh s he im-
po ance o ex a e sion as a p ecu so o he p og ession
p oduced in sex ing beha iou h oughou adolescence.
Fu he mo e, in his s udy, we examine he po en ial ou -
comes o sex ing on agg ession- ic imiza ion beha iou
(bo h in-pe son and online) and emo ional well-being. In his
sense, i is ound ha , a he one yea ollow-up, sex ing p e-
dic s a dec ease in he adi ional le els o ic imiza ion as
well as a dec ease in he le el o posi i e emo ions. As men-
ioned in he in oduc ion, al hough pas esea ch has men-
ioned he po en ial psychological consequences o sex ing,
he e is a lack o empi ical s udies, longi udinally based,
aimed o analyze he po en ial consequences o sex ing.
Some s udies (Reyns, Bu ek, Henson & Fishe , 2013) epo
a g ea e p obabili y o cybe ic imiza ion in adolescen s en-
gaging in sex ing and o he s udies (Gámez-Guadix, e al.,
2017) sugges a po en ial ulne abili y o adolescen s o
cybe ic imiza ion as a esul o his sex ing beha iou .
Howe e , ou esul s in his p ospec i e and p edic i e s udy
indica e ha sex ing p edic s dec eases in ic imiza ion. One
po en ial explana ion o his esul is based on he meaning
ha sex ing has o adolescen s. Thus, he sea ch o popu-
la i y appea s o be one o he o ces ha mo i a es young
people o engage in his beha iou (Lippman & Campbell,
2012; Ring ose, Ha ey, Gill & Li ings one, 2013). P io
s udies ha e shown ha he mo e popula adolescen s end
o engage in mo e sex ing and, in pa allel, hose seeking
g ea e accep ance be ween membe s o he opposi e sex al-
so ha e a g ea e endency o engage in sex ing (Vanden
Abeele e al., 2014). I is also known ha , in adolescen s, be-
ing mo e popula is ela ed o lowe le els o ic imiza ion
(Buelga, Ca a & Musi u, 2012). The e o e, popula i y may
media e in he in luence o sex ing on ic imiza ion. In any
case, i is necessa y o eplica e hese esul s in o he con ex s
and wi h dis inc ollow-up pe iods, in o de o e i y o
wha deg ee his inding is consis en , he eby econcep ual-
ising he ela ionships o sex ing wi h bullying.
On he o he hand, ou s udy also shows ha sex ing is
associa ed wi h dec eases in he le el o emo ional well-being
o you h. Speci ically, sex ing is associa ed wi h subsequen
educ ions in he le el o posi i e emo ions o you h. I ap-
pea s ha sex ing is an inc easingly popula p ac ice in you h
and hey engage in his beha iou impulsi ely, wi hou con-
side ing he po en ial consequences. This may lead o social
and pe sonal di icul ies ha may be associa ed wi h a de-
c ease in posi i e emo ions o e ime. The e ec s ound in
he eg ession analysis a e obus , gi en ha hey main ain
he s a is ical signi icance e en when con olling o he e -
ec o pe sonali y. I should be no ed ha his is an ini ial
explo a ion o he po en ial consequences o sex ing om a
longi udinal pe spec i e; u u e s udies should ho oughly
analyse he emo ional e ec s, in he sho and long e m, ha
a e he esul o sex ing.
The e o e, in summa y, his s udy, examining he an e-
ceden s and consequences om a longi udinal pe spec i e,
has ound ha , in a one yea ollow-up, ex a e sion is a
222 C is ina Alonso and Es ella Rome o
anales de psicología / annals o psychology, 2019, ol. 35, nº 2 (may)
p edic o o inc eased sex ing and, a he same ime, sex ing
p edic s a dec ease, in he one yea ollow-up, o ic imiza-
ion and posi i e emo ions.
This s udy has ce ain limi a ions ha should be men-
ioned. Fi s , i is clea ha addi ional long- e m s udies a e
necessa y, since hey would pe mi a mo e ho ough analysis
o he dynamics o he p edic o s and he consequences o
sex ing. On he o he hand, despi e i s longi udinal na u e,
he s udy does no es ablish a cause-e ec ela ionship be-
ween he a iables, al hough i does sugges p edic i e e -
ec s which a e compa ible wi h he po en ial in luence o
pe sonali y on sex ing, and o sex ing on ic imiza ion and
posi i e emo ions. Fu he mo e, as p e iously men ioned,
he e a e also ce ain psychome ic limi a ions o some o he
ace s o he JS NEO-S which ha e low in e nal consis en-
cies, and his may ha e weakened some o he ela ionships
ound. Howe e , e en wi h he less consis en ace s, he as-
socia ions a e cohe en wi h p e ious expec a ions and/o
wi h he ela ionships ound in he o he ace s co espond-
ing o he same ac o . Fu he mo e, we should no e ha he
s udy was conduc ed using only sel - epo ing measu es; he
use o mo e di e se measu es may pe mi mo e obus con-
clusions which would s eng hen he cu en body o e-
sea ch on sex ing.
Despi e hese limi a ions, his s udy o e s a comple e
and de ailed image o he ela ionship be ween pe sonali y
ai s and sex ing, since i includes he analysis o he ace s
o he gene al FFM domains. In addi ion, i s longi udinal de-
sign pe mi s addi ional knowledge on he p edic ion o sex-
ing beha iou , while conside ing pe sonali y. This p ospec-
i e s udy has also helped o examine some o he po en ial
psychosocial consequences o sex ing, which ha e no been
p e iously analysed om a longi udinal pe spec i e.
This s udy e eals ha sex ing is a se o equen beha -
iou s in you h, appa en ly in luenced by basic pe sonali y
ends and ha may also ha e ele an consequences on
heal h and well-being h oughou adolescence. Sex ing in
young people is a phenomenon ha , in e ms o p edic o s,
co ela es and consequences, dese es sys ema ic in es iga-
ion. Fu he s udy o he psychological dimensions and p o-
cesses in ol ed in sex ing may help o unco e s a egies o
p omo e he p ope use o he new echnologies by adoles-
cen s, he eby minimizing hei nega i e consequences.
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