Abstract
This study examined the pattern of relationship between peer influence, religiosity, self-esteem, gender, and sexting among adolescents. The descriptive survey of correlational design, and a multistage sampling procedure was utilized. Adolescents (N = 300; 56.3% female, 48.3% male) aged 11 to 18 years old (M = 14.84, SD = 0.89) took part, and all attended mainstream secondary schools in Ibadan, Nigeria. Participants completed self-report measures (Sexting Behavior scale α = 0.87; Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale α = 0.84; Peer Influence Scale α = 0.77; and The Dimensions of Religiosity Scale α = 0.80). The results showed that the sexting behavior of adolescents was influenced by gender (t {298} = 2.391, p<0.005), where female adolescents have higher mean scores than their male counterparts. There were positive significant relationships between peer influence (r = 0.227; p<0.05), gender (r = 0.253; p<0.05), and sexting. There was a negative significant relationship between self-esteem (r = -0.220; p<0.05), religiosity (r = -0.508; p<0.05) and sexting. Also, the result showed the composite contribution of peer influence, religiosity, self-esteem, and gender to the prediction of sexting (F (4,296) = 70.744; p<0.05), with a multiple regression coefficient (R = 0.592) and multiple regression adjusted (R2 = 0.583). The study concluded that efforts should be made to reduce sexting among adolescents and to tackle young people's ability to respond effectively to romantic pressure, which is the hallmark of this developmental stage.