Psychometric validation of the adolescent sexting behavior screening scale for school-based physical education and health promotion programs
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v81.119433Keywords:
adolescent sexting, Rasch analysis, digital sexual risk behavior, physical education, school health promotionAbstract
Introduction: Adolescent sexting is a sensitive digital sexual risk behavior that requires valid, non-stigmatizing screening tools for school-based health promotion.
Objective: This study evaluated the psychometric quality of the Adolescent Sexting Behavior Screening Scale and identified valid items for future research.
Methodology: A cross-sectional psychometric validation design was used with 682 Indonesian students. Content validity was assessed using the Content Validity Index, followed by Rasch analysis with the Partial Credit Model.
Results: All revised items showed excellent content validity. Rasch analysis indicated that the revised 12-item model was more defensible than the original 13-item version after removing one misfitting item. Item 3 required revision, and items 5 and 13 showed possible redundancy.
Discussion: The scale may support group-level mapping of preventive education needs related to body awareness, consent, peer pressure, and responsible digital interaction.
Conclusion: The revised scale is promising but requires further validation across broader adolescent samples.
References
Abrams, R., Nordmyr, J., & Forsman, A. K. (2023). Promoting sexual health in schools: a systematic review of the European evidence. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1193422.
Amez, S., & Baert, S. (2020). Smartphone use and academic performance: A literature review. International Journal of Educational Research, 103, 101618.
Andrianie, S., Wiyono, B. B., Atmoko, A., Setiyowati, A. J., Hidayah, N., Ramli, M., Aren, M., & Putra, F. W. (2025). Grit scale development and validation using rasch model: cross-cultural adaptation. Retos, 73, 104–115.
Ariyanto, R. D., Hidayah, N., Hambali, I. M., Indreswari, H., & Hoi‐yung, L. (2025). Exploring Gender‐Based Differences in Creative Ideation Among Indonesian Students Through Rasch Model Analysis. Psychology in the Schools, 62(7), 2070–2082.
Ariyanto, R. D., Soejanto, L. T., Andrianie, S., Bariyyah, K., Setyorini, S., Rosida, W., Wulandari, A., & Krismona, E. B. (2026). A Rasch model analysis of leadership potential among young athletes in Indonesia. Retos, 80, 114–129.
Asih, T., Suwono, H., & Hastuti, U. S. (2026). Effects of an AI-supported movement-based Physical Education program using a virtual nature reserve on ecological literacy and inquiry skills. Retos, 78, 705–717.
Barriuso-Ortega, S., Fernández-Hawrylak, M., & Heras-Sevilla, D. (2024). Sex education in adolescence: A systematic review of programmes and meta-analysis. Children and Youth Services Review, 166, 107926.
Bull, F. C., Al-Ansari, S. S., Biddle, S., Borodulin, K., Buman, M. P., Cardon, G., Carty, C., Chaput, J.-P., Chastin, S., & Chou, R. (2020). World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 54(24), 1451–1462.
Carpentier, S., Deng, W., Blackwood, J., & Van de Winckel, A. (2024). Rasch validation of the revised body awareness rating questionnaire (BARQ-R) in adults with and without musculoskeletal pain. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 25(1), 799.
Del Rey, R., Ojeda, M., & Casas, J. A. (2021). Validation of the sexting behavior and motives questionnaire (SBM-Q). Psicothema, 33(2), 287.
Deng, W., Carpentier, S., Blackwood, J., & Van de Winckel, A. (2023). Rasch validation of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS) in community-dwelling adults. BMC Psychology, 11(1), 48.
Dolev-Cohen, M., & Shaul, H. (2025). Adolescents’ Engagement in Sexting as a Normative Behavior: Profiles of Consensual and Coerced Sexting. Computers in Human Behavior, 108777.
Doyle, C., Douglas, E., & O’Reilly, G. (2021). The outcomes of sexting for children and adolescents: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Adolescence, 92, 86–113.
Dully, J., Walsh, K., Doyle, C., & O’Reilly, G. (2023). Adolescent experiences of sexting: A systematic review of the qualitative literature, and recommendations for practice. Journal of Adolescence, 95(6), 1077–1105.
Foody, M., Kuldas, S., Sargioti, A., Mazzone, A., & Norman, J. O. (2023). Sexting behaviour among adolescents: Do friendship quality and social competence matter? Computers in Human Behavior, 142, 107651.
Frøyland, L. R., Tokle, R., Andreas, J. B., & Brunborg, G. S. (2024). Sexting and mental health in adolescence: A longitudinal study. Journal of Adolescent Health, 75(4), 584–590.
Guo, R., Xie, H., Zhao, W., & Wang, J. (2025a). based sexual and reproductive health education for adolescents aged 10 – 17 years : a systematic review and meta- analysis. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjpo-2025-003714
Guo, R., Xie, H., Zhao, W., & Wang, J. (2025b). Web-based sexual and reproductive health education for adolescents aged 10–17 years: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Paediatrics Open, 9(1), e003714.
Guthold, R., Stevens, G. A., Riley, L. M., & Bull, F. C. (2020). Global trends in insufficient physical activity among adolescents: a pooled analysis of 298 population-based surveys with 1· 6 million participants. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 4(1), 23–35.
Kabelka, H., Kok, M., Chau, K., Werner, L., Bos, H., & Le Mat, M. (2025). Adolescents’ and young people’s perspectives on school-based sexuality education in low-and middle-income countries: a scoping review. Reproductive Health, 22(1), 205.
Kim, J., & Chung, Y. J. (2023). A case study of group art therapy using digital media for adolescents with intellectual disabilities. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, 1172079.
Madadizadeh, F., & Bahariniya, S. (2025). Tutorial on Internal Consistency Assessment by Cronbach’s Alpha and McDonald’s Omega. Perioperative Care and Operating Room Management, 100568.
Molla Esparza, C., Nájera, P., López-González, E., & Losilla, J.-M. (2020). Development and validation of the adolescent sexting scale (A-SextS) with a Spanish sample. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(21), 8042.
Odgers, C. L., & Jensen, M. R. (2020). Annual research review: Adolescent mental health in the digital age: Facts, fears, and future directions. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 61(3), 336–348.
Ojeda, M., Dodaj, A., Casas, J. A., Sesar, K., & Del Rey, R. (2025a). Cross-cultural validation of the sexting behaviors and motives questionnaire (SBM-Q). Psicothema, 37(1), 60.
Ojeda, M., Dodaj, A., Casas, J. A., Sesar, K., & Del Rey, R. (2025b). Validación transcultural del Cuestionario de Comportamientos y Motivos de Sexting (SBM-Q). Psicothema, 37(1), 60–70.
Pistoni, C., Martinez Damia, S., Alfieri, S., Marta, E., Confalonieri, E., & Pozzi, M. (2023). What are the predictors of sexting behavior among adolescents? The positive youth development approach. Journal of Adolescence, 95(4), 661–671.
Sampedro-Ferreirós, L., Rodríguez-Castro, Y., Martínez-Román, R., & Lameiras-Fernández, M. (2026). Technology-facilitated sexual violence among adolescents and young people: a systematic review of reviews. Adolescent Research Review, 1–29.
Suhardita, K., Degeng, I. N. S., Muslihati, M., Indreswari, H., Cahayani, N. L. P., & Sudarsana, G. N. (2026). Student altruism as a transversal educational value: a Rasch model analysis across cultural regions in Bali. Retos, 76, 897–906.
Thakur, T. (2025). Rasch measurement theory: A complete course. Educohack Press.
Toding, N., Setiyowati, A. J., Hidayah, N., Hotifah, Y., Feriyanto, F., Flores, R. B., & Maulina, M. (2026). The role of school counseling in advancing equality in student participation: a systematic review. Retos, 75, 752–772.
Wahyudin, H., Ramli, M., Chusniyah, T., Eva, N., Oktasari, M., Mufaridah, H., Andriani, M. W., Stevani, H., Soejanto, L. T., & Hikmy, B. J. (2026). The role of self-control in enhancing academic resilience and sports performance in Indonesian vocational students. Retos, 74, 916–929.
Wahyudin, H., Ramli, M., Chusniyah, T., Eva, N., Oktasari, M., Mufaridah, H., Andriani, M. W., Stevani, H., Soejanto, L. T., Hikmy, B. J., Malang, N., Jakarta, U. N., & Wahyudin, H. (2026). The role of self-control in enhancing academic resilience and sports performance in Indonesian vocational students Authors Resumen How to cite in APA Palabras clave Keywords. 2026, 916–929.
Wang, F., & Sahid, S. (2024). Content validation and content validity index calculation for entrepreneurial behavior instruments among vocational college students in China. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 7(9), 2024187.
Yafie, E., Kurniawan, A., Junaidi, A. R., Waras, W., & Ashari, Z. M. (2026). Development of a collaborative school-family wellness model through the “Healthy, happy, and achieving children” program to improve balanced nutrition and healthy lifestyle behavior. Retos, 79, 113–129.
Yamashita, T. (2022). Analyzing Likert scale surveys with Rasch models. Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 1(3), 100022.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Nurul Aini, Henny Indreswari, M Ramli, Muslihati Muslihati, Henny Dwi Susanti, M Hasinuddin

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and ensure the magazine the right to be the first publication of the work as licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of authorship of the work and the initial publication in this magazine.
- Authors can establish separate additional agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal (eg, to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Is allowed and authors are encouraged to disseminate their work electronically (eg, in institutional repositories or on their own website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as to a subpoena more Early and more of published work (See The Effect of Open Access) (in English).
This journal provides immediate open access to its content (BOAI, http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/boaifaq.htm#openaccess) on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. The authors may download the papers from the journal website, or will be provided with the PDF version of the article via e-mail.