Mobile Phone Sexting and Self-Esteem among SHS Student at Tema Metropolis in Greater Accra District of Ghana

Introduction There is global concern about the sharing of sexual materials through text messaging (sexting). Tragic consequences of adolescent vulnerability and lack of discretion have been reported. Very little is known about the practice of sexting among adolescents in countries in sub-Saharan Africa and how it relates to the self-esteem of students. This study explored sexting among senior high school students in Tema, a municipality in Accra, Ghana. Methods This is a self-administered questionnaire survey conducted among forms one(1) students in six randomly selected public Senior High Schools students in Tema. Students were selected through systematic random sampling. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analysis using logistic regression were used to determine the prevalence of sexting, explore its determinants and determine the relationship between sexting, sexual behavior and self-esteem. Self-esteem was assessed using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale Results Five hundred and seventy-six students (53% females) students with a mean age of 16 (standard deviation was 1.4) years participated in the survey. About 70% of students own their own mobile phones. About a quarter (24.7%) admitted to have sent sexual materials over the phone. Male students (OR=4.18, 95% confidence interval 2.71-6.46, Pvalue< 0.01) and students aged 16yrs or more (OR=1.60, 1.07-2.41, P-value=0.02) were more likely to have sexted than female and students younger than 16 years respectively. While sexters were 3.79 (CL2.33-6.14, P-value<0.01) more likely to engage in sexual activity compared to non-sexters. There was no significant association between sexting and self-esteem (p= 0.46 95% CL 0.50-1.37). Conclusion The prevalence of sexting is high in the SHS surveyed and the practice has a relationship with student engagement in sexual activities. Education authorities need to adopt strategies to combat the practice. Measures, including policies are needed to protect students from sexual explicit materials online.