MST-Department of Psychology

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Browsing MST-Department of Psychology by Author "Kioni, Magdaline"

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    Relationship between Sexting and Suicidal Behaviour among Undergraduate University Students in Kiambu County, Kenya
    (Kenyatta University, 2025-12) Kioni, Magdaline
    Across the globe, sexting is considered one of the major contributors to negative mental health among young adults, especially those in higher learning institutions. Sexting also negatively affects the psychosocial well-being of those involved, including public humiliation. Thus, this study's purpose was to evaluate the relationship between sexting and suicidal behaviour among Kenyan university students. Specifically, the study sought to determine the prevalence of various forms of sexting, establish the prevalence of suicidal behaviour, determine the association between various forms of sexting and suicidal behaviour, and establish gender, age and social environment differences in relation to sexting and suicidal behaviour among undergraduate university students. This study was informed by two theoretical approaches; these include Interpersonal-psychological theory and multiple goal theory. These two approaches explain human behaviours and related psychological problems. The study used a correlational research design. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to collect primary data using Focus Group discussions and a research questionnaire, which was adapted from the SBQ-R. The questionnaire was adopted in the study because it is a standard and widely validated tool for assessing suicidal behaviour. A total of 30,000 students had an equal chance to take part in the study. All ten universities located in Kiambu County were included in the study. In the 10 universities, a total of 384 students were randomly sampled from various departments, also sampled via simple random sampling. Data analysis was done through both descriptive and inferential statistics with the help of SPSS (Version 25.0) computer software program. The study only focused on undergraduate students in Kiambu County, and therefore, postgraduate students were not included. The study faced a non-response challenge given the sensitivity of the topic, but this was overcome by assuring respondents of the confidentiality of their information. The study revealed that there is a positive, strong and significant relationship between various forms of sexting and suicidal behaviour among undergraduate university students (r=0.574; p=0.000). The study found that there is a significant sex differences in relation to sexting among undergraduate university students since the p-values (0.040 and 0.037) were less than 0.05. The study found that there is no sex difference in relation to suicidal behaviour among undergraduate university students since the p-values (0.142 and 0.140) >0.05. The research established that sexting is very prevalent among undergraduate university students, with the most common forms of sexting being sext messages, images and videos. The study also concluded that there is a positive, strong and significant relationship between various forms of sexting and suicidal behaviour among undergraduate university students. The study recommends that University management should prioritize the mental health and well-being of students by integrating comprehensive education on the risks associated with sexting into the university’s orientation programs and ongoing awareness campaigns. The study also recommends that student leadership at the universities in Kenya should advocate for peer-led initiatives that encourage safe online behaviours and create a culture of respect and consent among students. The study suggests that future research use primary and secondary data to investigate the connection between sexting and suicidal behaviour among undergraduate university students.