Dating applications apps on smartphones have become increasingly popular. The aim of this study was to explore the association between the use of dating apps and risky sexual behaviours. Data were collected in four university campuses in Hong Kong.
Subjects completed a structured questionnaire asking about the use of dating apps, sexual behaviours, and sociodemographics. Multiple linear and logistics regressions were used to explore factors associated with sexual risk behaviours. Six hundred sixty-six subjects were included in the data analysis.
The results of dating multiple logistic regression analysis found that users of dating apps adjust odds ratio: 0. Users of dating apps adjust odds ratio: 1.
The present study found a robust association between using dating apps and sexual risk behaviours, suggesting that app users had greater dating risks. Interventions that can target app users so that they can stay safe when seeking sexual partners through dating apps should be developed.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licensewhich permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
The Internet has long been a popular platform for seeking romantic and even sexual relationships [ 1 ]. A review article concluded that online sex seeking was associated with adverse sexual health such as sexually transmitted infections STIsunsafe sex and unplanned pregnancies in both heterosexual and homosexual populations, hence, it was suggested that people who seek sexual partners on the Internet tend to be more sexually active and more willing to take risks [ 4 ].
The advancement of mobile technology allows Internet access through smartphones. Along with the growing popularity of smartphones and Internet access worldwide, a variety of location-based dating applications apps using the global positional system GPS have been launched. Compared with traditional online dating paradigms such as websites and chat rooms, these dating apps provide a more convenient and accessible way for people to meet friends and potential sexual partners.
First, click the following article can easily find sexual partners who are continue reading nearby because of the GPS. Second, nowadays people tend to carry their smartphones with them at all times. Users can easily access a wide pool of potential sexual partners anytime and anywhere as long as they carry their mobile phones. Third, unlike traditional dating websites which dating require subscription fees, sex of the apps apps are free.
Therefore, it is highly possible that using dating apps is an emerging risk factor for unsafe sexual behaviours. Previous studies found that the prevalence of having unprotected anal intercourse ranged from Moreover, homosexual men who used dating apps for more than one year were more 2015 to have apps anal intercourse [ 7 ]. Compared with nonusers, app users were significantly more likely to have at least one self-reported prior diagnosis of STIs [ 8 ].
Insight into the use of social dating apps and its associated risky sexual behaviours will both allow researchers and clinicians to understand the phenomenon and guide the design of apps interventions.
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However, to date, the evidence regarding the negative effects of smartphone dating apps dating sexual health has been conflicting, inconclusive or not generalizable. A study in the United States found that homosexual app users were more likely to have more sexual partners [ 8 ] whereas another study in Hong Kong did not find this association [ 9 ]. Furthermore, previous studies mainly focused on homosexual men.
The association between using dating apps and sexual health in heterosexual people and women is poorly understood.
Distinct differences in sexual practices and sexual risks between people of different genders [ 10 ] and sexual orientations [ 11 ] have been evident in previous studies. For example, men were more likely to intend to engage in sexual activities than women [ 10 ]. Oral and anal sexual intercourse was more common in homosexual men then heterosexual men. Bisexual and homosexual women were more likely to have more sexual partners than heterosexual women [ 11 ]. The lack of knowledge about the effects of using dating apps apps sexual health in male and female subjects of various sexual orientations necessitated the present study.
The specific objective of the present study was to explore the association between the use of smartphone dating apps and risky sexual behaviours, including the number of sexual partners with whom students have 2015 unprotected sexual intercourse, inconsistent condom use and not using a condom the last time students had had sexual intercourse.
It was hypothesized that the use of dating apps was associated with these behaviours. This was a cross-sectional study. Subjects were recruited from four university campuses in Hong Kong by convenience sampling. Subjects were excluded if they did not speak or understand English, Cantonese or Mandarin; had already been recruited 2015 the study; or were not college students.
On Tinder, Taking a Swipe at Love, or Sex, or Something, in New York
A coded and anonymous questionnaire was self-completed by subjects. Questionnaires were available in English and Chinese. Bilingual field workers were present to explain hot dates onlyfans aims, procedures and nature of the study; obtain written consent; distribute and collect questionnaires; and answer questions raised by subjects.
Subjects were informed that they could skip any questions they did not want to answer. The questions about the use of dating apps, sexual behaviours and sexual orientation were adopted from previous studies [ 58india dating club — 17 ].
Subjects were asked if they were using any smartphone dating apps[ 5 ]. Users of dating apps were asked how long they had been using them [ 516 ]. Subjects were asked if they had ever had sexual intercourse [ 15 ].
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Those who had sexual intercourse experience were asked at what sex they had had their first sexual intercourse[ 15 ]; the gender of their sexual partners [ 17 ]; the number of sexual partners learn more here the past 1 month, the past 3 months and their entire lives [ 81315 ]; the number of sexual partners they had had unprotected sexual intercourse with; the frequency of their condom use[ 9 ]; and whether they had used 2015 condom the last time they had had sexual intercourse more info dating ].
All subjects also completed a set of sociodemographic questions about age, gender, sexual orientation, relationship status, monthly income, student status, smoking habits and drinking habits. Multicollinearity diagnostics were performed for all regression models.
In each regression model, only subjects with full data were included in the analysis. Imputation or other substitution methods were not used. The methods were carried out in accordance with the approved guidelines. Written informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Subjects were recruited between September and December australia sites lesbian dating A total of subjects completed the cross-sectional survey.
Of these, subjects were included in the data apps the other 10 subjects were excluded because they indicated that apps were not college students. The mean age was 20 years; Demographic information is shown in Table 1. Factors associated with having sexual intercourse experience, the corresponding chi-square statistics, adjusted odds ratios aOR derived from multiple logistic regression analyses and model evaluation statistics are shown in Table 2.
All factors that were significant continue reading the chi-square analysis remained statistically significant in the multiple logistic regression analysis except for gender and monthly income. Factors associated with having sexual intercourse experience included using dating apps aOR: 1. Two hundred sixty subjects who had sexual intercourse experience were further analysed to explore factors associated with their sexual behaviours. Their demographic information is shown in Table 3.
The results are shown in Table 4. Dating further explore the association between length of time using dating apps and number of sexual partners in the last 3 months and in the last 1 month, the length of time using dating apps was put into the regression model. Subjects using dating apps for more than 12 months relative to nonusers were associated with a higher number of sexual partners in the last 3 months and last 1 month.
The results are 2015 in Table 5. The results of multiple logistic regression found that users of dating apps aOR: 0. The results are shown in Table 6.
Users of dating apps aOR: 1. Moreover, https://telegram-web.online/warranted-superior-saw-dating.php subjects were more likely to report that she or her partner did not use a condom the last time she had sexual intercourse aOR: 2.
The female view: Scarlett Russell
The results are shown in Table 7. Logistic regression analysis found that the length of time using dating apps was not a significant factor associated with risky sexual behaviours data not shown. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first study to sex the association between the use of dating apps and sexual health in a sample of heterosexual, bisexual and homosexual subjects. The present study found that the use of dating apps was associated with having more sexual partners, having unprotected sexual intercourse with more sexual partners, an increased likelihood of having inconsistent condom use and an increased likelihood of not having used a condom the last time the subject had sexual intercourse.
It appeared that dating apps tended to skew their users toward risky sexual encounters. More than half application dating daughter the study sample used dating apps suggesting that dating apps are popular among college students. There are at least two possible explanations. First, the nature of dating apps with their convenience, accessibility and mobility can facilitate sexual encounters [ sex ]. Second, people who are sexually active and intend to look for sexual encounters in the first place may be drawn to dating apps to look for sexual activities.
This merits further investigation to understand the causal relationship between using dating apps and the initiation of sexual intercourse. Compared with nonusers, dating sex users were more likely to have more sexual partners in their entire lives 4. This association remained after accounting for sociodemographic factors. A previous study on homosexual men also found that, compared with nonusers, app users reported significantly more sexual partners in their entire lives and in the last 3 months [ 8 ].
Another study which examined the association between sexting sending or receiving sexually explicit photos on mobile phones and sexual health in college students in the United States found that those who had engaged in sexting were more likely to have had more sexual partners in their entire lives 4. Having multiple sexual partners is problematic because numerous studies suggest that it is associated visit web page sexually transmitted disease infection, recreational drug use, alcohol consumption, dating violence and unplanned pregnancy [ 720 — 22 ].
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We also found that, compared with nonusers, those who used dating apps for more than 12 months were more likely to have more sexual partners in the last 3 months and in the last 1 month.
Conversely, there was no significant difference in the number of sexual partners in the last 3 months and the last 1 month between nonusers and those who used dating apps less than 12 months. It appeared that using 2015 apps can lead to an increase in the number of sexual partners. There were several possible explanations. First, a previous qualitative study about online dating suggested that online dating websites can extend the number of people users meet and engage with sexually [ 1 ]. Dating apps, which share a similar nature with online dating websites, can provide a source of potential sexual partners.
Moreover, it might expand opportunities for sexual encounters among people who are geographically isolated and among people who look for sexual partners for specific sexual practices [ 23 ]. Second, nowadays people carry their smartphones with them at all times. Therefore, people can easily arrange casual sex by using these applications.
Third, it was suggested that people were more comfortable and ready to talk about sex in an online environment [ 124 ]. The association between early sexual initiation and the number of sexual partners is consistent with that found in the United States [ 25 ] and mainland China [ 26 ] and sex not unique to the population in the present study.
Contrary to previous studies which found that sexual minority youths were more likely to have multiple sexual partners in their entire lives and in the last 3 months, this association cannot be found in the present study [ 7 ].