Personality factors as predictors of sexting

•Measured frequency of sexting and level of commitment to engage in sexting.•Females and those individuals in relationships indicated wanting more commitment to engage in sexting.•Extraversion and males predicted engaging in text-based sexting.•Neuroticism and disagreeableness predicted engage in image-based sexting.

“Sexting” refers to sending and receiving sexually suggestive images, videos, or texts on cell phones. Nowadays, technology is embedded in communication between current and prospective romantic partners and understanding what may fuel sexting behavior warrants attention. 304 undergraduate participants (males = 126 and females = 178) completed an online questionnaire about their personality traits, sensation seeking, and problematic cell phone use and their engagement in sexting behaviors. Results suggest that men and those in romantic relationships are more likely to sext, particularly through text messaging. Those in relationships and women indicate requiring greater commitment in a relationship in order to engage in sexting. Extraversion predicted sexting with text messaging, and neuroticism and low agreeableness predicted sexting—sending a sexually suggestive photo, a photo in underwear or lingerie, and a nude photo. Problematic cell phone use also predicted engagement in sexting with text messages. Certain aspects of sexting may appeal as a risky behavior for those individuals with personality traits towards high-risk activities.