ULOGA RODITELJSKOG NADZORA U DINAMICI UPORABE SEKSUALNO EKSPLICITNIH MATERIJALA MEĐU ADOLESCENTIMA

Abstract

The contemporary technological and communicational context in which adolescents grow up is characterized by easy access to sexually explicit material (SEM), which brings up numerous concerns about possible negative effects of SEM use on their psychosocial development. Regarding various unwanted behavioral and emotional outcomes, the protective role of parental monitoring has been empirically corroborated, but little is known about the association between the dynamics of parental monitoring and SEM use during adolescence. The aim of this longitudinal study was to assess this association in two independent samples of high-school students. From 2015 till 2018, the data were collected in Rijeka (classroom-based in 14 high-schools) and Zagreb (online survey in 59 high-schools). Using three observation points in Rijeka sample (n = 1 190) and Zagreb sample (n = 874 – for robustness check), latent growth curve modeling revealed a negative association between male and female adolescents’ initial levels of SEM use and parental monitoring in both panel samples. During 20 months’ time, the dynamics of the two constructs were negatively related only among female adolescents in Rijeka. Practical and empirical implications, together with recommendations for future research are discussed.