Developing Respondent-Based Multi-Media Measures of Exposure to Sexual Content

Despite interest in media effects on sexual behavior, there is no single method for assessing exposure to sexual content in media. This paper discusses the development of sexual content exposure measures based on adolescent respondents' sexual content ratings of titles in television, music, magazines, and video games. We assessed the construct and criterion validity of these exposure measures by examining their relationship to one another and to adolescents' sexual activity. Data were collected through a web-based survey using a quota sample of 547 youth aged 14–16 from the Philadelphia area. Adolescents rated their frequency of exposure to specific media titles and the sexual content of each title. Sexual behavior was measured using an ordered index of lifetime pre-coital and coital sexual activity. The association between exposure to sexual content and sexual activity varied by medium and measure. Based on our findings we recommend using a multiple media weighted sum measure.

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