Grindr Users Take More Risks, but Are More Open to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Pre-exposure Prophylaxis: Could This Dating App Provide a Platform for HIV Prevention Outreach?

BACKGROUND: Technology has changed the way that men who have sex with men (MSM) seek sex. More than 60% of MSM in the United States use the internet and/or smartphone-based geospatial networking apps to find sex partners. We correlated use of the most popular app (Grindr) with sexual risk and prevention behavior among MSM. METHODS: A nested cohort study was conducted between September 2018 and June 2019 among MSM receiving community-based human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening in central San Diego. During the testing encounter, participants were surveyed for demographics, substance use, risk behavior (previous 3 months), HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use, and Grindr usage. Participants who tested negative for HIV and who were not on PrEP were offered immediate PrEP. RESULTS: The study included 1256 MSM, 1090 of whom (86.8%) were not taking PrEP. Overall, 580 of 1256 (46%) participants indicated that they used Grindr in the previous 7 days. Grindr users reported significantly higher risk behavior (greater number of male partners and condomless sex) and were more likely to test positive for chlamydia or gonorrhea (8.6% vs 4.7% of nonusers; P = .005). Grindr users were also more likely to be on PrEP (18.7% vs 8.7% of nonusers; P < .001) and had fewer newly diagnosed HIV infections (9 vs 26 among nonusers; P = .014). Grindr users were also nearly twice as likely as nonusers to initiate PrEP (24.6% vs 14%; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Given the higher risk behavior and greater acceptance of PrEP among MSM who used Grindr, Grindr may provide a useful platform to promote HIV and STI testing and increase PrEP uptake.

Risk-Taking Behaviors and Adherence to HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis in Users of Geosocial Networking Apps: Real-World, Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: Over half of men who have sex with men (MSM) use geosocial networking (GSN) apps to encounter sex partners. GSN apps' users have become a unique large subpopulation among MSM for interventions concerning HIV prevention and control. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a promising measure for HIV prevention, especially for MSM, but its effectiveness largely depends on medication adherence. However, little is known about PrEP adherence among GSN apps' users, which is critical to addressing the overall optimization of PrEP compliance outside of clinical trials in the context of large-scale implementation. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to understand the correlation between GSN apps' use and medication adherence among MSM receiving PrEP, with the aim to increase their awareness about PrEP use in order to increase adherence. METHODS: This study based on the China Real-world Oral intake of PrEP (CROPrEP) project, a multicenter, real-world study of Chinese MSM on daily and event-driven PrEP. Eligible participants completed a detailed computer-assisted self-interview on sociodemographic, GSN apps' use, and sexual behavior. Then participants were followed up for 12 months and assessed for various characteristics (eg, PrEP delivery, adherence assessment, PrEP coverage of sexual activities, and regimens switch). A generalized estimation equation was used to analyze the predictors of medication adherence and regimen conversion among GSN apps' users and nonusers. RESULTS: At baseline, 756 of the 1023 eligible participants (73.90%) reported primarily using GSN apps to seek sexual partners, and GSN apps' users are more likely to have high-risk behaviors such as multiple sex partners and condomless anal intercourse than other nonusers (all P<.05). During follow-up, GSN apps' users had a significantly low level of pill-counting adherence than nonusers (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.8, 95% CI 0.6-1.0, P=.038). In the event-driven group, GSN apps' users had marginally lower levels of self-reported adherence (aOR 0.7, 95% CI 0.4-1.0, P=.060) and lower PrEP coverage of sexual practices (aOR 0.6, 95% CI 0.4-1.0, P=.038). Additionally, GSN apps' users seemed more likely to switch from event-driven to daily regimen (aOR 1.8, 95% CI 0.9-3.3, P=.084). CONCLUSIONS: GSN apps' users are highly prevalent among MSM, despite their higher sexual risk and lower adherence levels, suggesting that eHealth needs to be introduced to the GSN platform to promote PrEP adherence. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR-IIN-17013762; https://tinyurl.com/yy2mhrv4. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR2-10.1186/s12879-019-4355-y.

What's really 'Happning'? A forensic analysis of Android and iOS Happn dating apps.

With today's world revolving around online interaction, dating applications (apps) are a prime example of how people are able to discover and converse with others that may share similar interests or lifestyles, including during the recent COVID-19 lockdowns. To connect the users, geolocation is often utilized. However, with each new app comes the possibility of criminal exploitation. For example, while apps with geolocation feature are intended for users to provide personal information that drive their search to meet someone, that same information can be used by hackers or forensic analysts to gain access to personal data, albeit for different purposes. This paper examines the Happn dating app (versions 9.6.2, 9.7, and 9.8 for iOS devices, and versions 3.0.22 and 24.18.0 for Android devices), which geographically works differently compared to most notable dating apps by providing users with profiles of other users that might have passed by them or in the general radius of their location. Encompassing both iOS and Android devices along with eight varying user profiles with diverse backgrounds, this study aims to explore the potential for a malicious actor to uncover the personal information of another user by identifying artifacts that may pertain to sensitive user data.

Swipe right: the emergence of dating-app facilitated sexual assault. A descriptive retrospective audit of forensic examination caseload in an Australian metropolitan service.

The use of dating 'apps' to facilitate real-word social encounters between strangers is culturally mainstream. Sexual assaults facilitated following dating-app meetings have been reported in the media, and anecdotally noted at increasing frequency by clinical forensic physicians. Limited empirical data suggests there has been a marked increase in real life sexual offences facilitated in this manner. There is little additional information known about the circumstances of these alleged incidents. This retrospective audit of a small forensic examination caseload from an Australian metropolitan clinical forensic medicine service identified that 14% (11 of 76) of alleged sexual assaults where complainants underwent a forensic examination were facilitated following a dating-app meeting. Further analysis of these cases identified that all complainants were female, most under 30 years of age. All alleged a single male perpetrator and in over half of the cases the complainant was impaired. In all cases where it was asked (n = 9), the alleged incident occurred at the first face-to-face meeting. More than half of the incidents occurred at the alleged perpetrator's private residence. Anogenital injuries were observed at the time of forensic examination in 60% of cases, and 70% had visible body injuries. There was no reported condom use. Only one complainant had no observable injury. This small case series quantified a high proportion of forensic sexual assault examination caseload as being facilitated by dating-app meetings, and identified some common features that may be characteristic of alleged sexual assaults occurring in this manner. The authors propose a larger prospective period of data collection at the time of forensic medical examination, to characterize the features of sexual assaults allegedly occurring following app-based meetings.

Negotiating Hegemonic Masculinities and Mutual Exoticization within Grindr Tourism Interactions: "Everyone in Tel Aviv is a Muscle God".

Dating apps are spaces where masculinities are communicated digitally, affecting inequalities around gender expressions. This study aims to identify the masculinities communicated within Grindr tourism interactions in Tel Aviv and analyze how masculinities shape relations among international tourists and locals. Methods consist of interviews and audio diaries with nineteen tourist, local, and immigrant Grindr users in Tel Aviv. Theories of affordances, hegemonic masculinities, and relational sociology are used to analyze the data. In discussion of the results, the concept of mutual exoticization is put forth to interpret the social dynamics valued within Grindr tourism interactions, thereby revealing oppositional fantasies tied to nationalities and masculinities. The study also explores ethnicity's association with social and erotic capital in digital circulations of a localized Mizrahi masculinity. Findings reveal that while hegemonic masculinities are circulated on Grindr, resistance is also a part of Grindr tourism relations around masculinities. This research concludes by shedding light on masculinity inequalities within digital spaces where different nationalities co-congregate, revealing everyday negotiations of gender regimes. Grindr is the site of both reproduction of and resistance to social inequalities around masculinities.

Does Online Dating Make Relationships More Successful? Replication and Extension of a Previous Study.

A previous study has found a negative correlation between meeting one's romantic partner in online dating (vs. offline) and marriage quality through a quota sample of the U.S. population. This current study replicates and extends this previous study by analyzing another sample of the U.S. population from the Pew Research Center (N = 2,787). Largely consistent with the previous finding, we found that meeting one's partner in online dating (vs. offline) was marginally related to experiencing less relationship success among people in a marital relationship. However, the difference was not observed among people in a nonmarital romantic relationship. In addition, sharing or discussing one's relationship or dating life (i.e., relationship talks) on social media (RToSM) conditioned the link between meeting venue and relationship success. That is, for marital relationships, meeting in online dating was only linked to less relationship success among people with no RToSM but not among those who had RToSM; for nonmarital relationships, there was a positive link between meeting in online dating and relationship success among those who had RToSM, but this positive link was not observed among those who had no RToSM. We further discuss the implications of our findings on the long-term impact of online dating in marital and nonmarital romantic relationships.

A Cross-Sectional Study of Spanish Grindr Users: Sociodemographic Characteristics, Sexual Health Trends, and Attitudes toward HIV Testing.

Men who have sex with men are at an increased risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections, and although behavioral and contextual interventions have improved, infections continue to spread. Therefore, a new focus on recent trends in sexual health in this population is needed. The aim of this study was to describe the relationship between sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics according to Grindr usage patterns, the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and attitudes toward HIV testing. In January 2020, a cross-sectional study was conducted using a sample of 881 men who have sex with men (MSM) who completed an online questionnaire. We evaluated their Grindr use patterns (moderate or intensive) and explored the associations of these with sociodemographic behavioral characteristics, STIs, and attitudes toward HIV testing. Of 881 participants in total, 587 (66.6%) were intensive Grindr users. Compared to moderate users, these participants reported significantly higher numbers of casual sexual partners (76.2% vs. 23.8%; p < 0.001), were more likely to participate in Chemsex (77.3% vs. 22.7%: p = 0.031), and had a higher self-reported number of STIs (69.9% vs. 30.1; p = 0.046). They also demonstrated better attitudes toward HIV testing (69.7% vs. 30.3%; p = 0.045) and perceived themselves to be at moderate risk of HIV (71.2% vs. 28.8%: p = 0.048). Moreover, intensive Grindr users were 1.36 times more likely than moderate users to test positive for STIs (95%CI = 1.15-1.91; p = 0.048). With some limitations, age, sexual partners, intensive Grindr users, and PrEP uses were associated with the risk of STIs in the sample of Spanish Grindr users studied. As Grindr users are vulnerable to sociodemographic and behavioral factors that determine STIs and HIV infection, mainly among intensive users, it is necessary to highlight the importance of new trends such as online dating apps, PrEP use, substance use in sex, and Chemsex, and these need to be incorporated into online public health strategies.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Mobile App Use for Meeting Sexual Partners Among Young Men Who Have Sex With Men and Young Transgender Women: Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Young men who have sex with men and young transgender women (YMSM-YTW) use online spaces to meet sexual partners with increasing regularity, and research shows that experiences of racism online mimics the real world. Objective: We analyzed differences by race and ethnicity in web-based and mobile apps used to meet sexual partners as reported by Chicago-based YMSM-YTW in 2016-2017. Methods: A racially and ethnically diverse sample of 643 YMSM-YTW aged 16-29 years were asked to name websites or mobile apps used to seek a sexual partner in the prior 6 months, as well as provide information about sexual partnerships from the same period. We used logistic regression to assess the adjusted association of race and ethnicity with (1) use of any website or mobile apps to find a sexual partner, (2) use of a "social network" to find a sexual partner compared to websites or mobile apps predominantly used for dating or hookups, (3) use of specific websites or mobile apps, and (4) reporting successfully meeting a sexual partner online among website or mobile app users. Results: While most YMSM-YTW (454/643, 70.6%) used websites or mobile apps to find sexual partners, we found that Black non-Hispanic YMSM-YTW were significantly less likely to report doing so (comparing White non-Hispanic to Black non-Hispanic: adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.74, 95% CI 1.10-2.76). Black non-Hispanic YMSM-YTW were more likely to have used a social network site to find a sexual partner (comparing White non-Hispanic to Black non-Hispanic: aOR 0.20, 95% CI 0.11-0.37), though this was only reported by one-third (149/454, 32.8%) of all app-using participants. Individual apps used varied by race and ethnicity, with Grindr, Tinder, and Scruff being more common among White non-Hispanic YMSM-YTW (93/123, 75.6%; 72/123, 58.5%; and 30/123, 24.4%, respectively) than among Black non-Hispanic YMSM-YTW (65/178, 36.5%; 25/178, 14%; and 4/178, 2.2%, respectively) and Jack'd and Facebook being more common among Black non-Hispanic YMSM-YTW (105/178, 59% and 64/178, 36%, respectively) than among White non-Hispanic YMSM-YTW (6/123, 4.9% and 8/123, 6.5%, respectively). Finally, we found that while half (230/454, 50.7%) of YMSM-YTW app users reported successfully meeting a new sexual partner on an app, Black non-Hispanic YMSM-YTW app users were less likely to have done so than White non-Hispanic app users (comparing White non-Hispanic to Black non-Hispanic: aOR 2.46, 95% CI 1.50-4.05). Conclusions: We found that Black non-Hispanic YMSM-YTW engaged with websites or mobile apps and found sexual partners systematically differently than White non-Hispanic YMSM-YTW. Our findings give a deeper understanding of how racial and ethnic sexual mixing patterns arise and have implications for the spread of sexually transmitted infections among Chicago's YMSM-YTW.

Finding Intimacy Online: A Machine Learning Analysis of Predictors of Success.

While an extensive scientific literature now exists on the use of online dating services, there are very few studies on user satisfaction with dating apps and with the resulting offline dates. This study aimed to assess the level of satisfaction with Tinder use (STU) and the level of satisfaction with Tinder offline dates (STOD) in a sample of adult users of the app. The study also aimed to examine, among 28 variables, those that are the most important in predicting STU and STOD. Overall, 1,387 Tinder users completed an online questionnaire. A machine learning model was used to rank order predictors from most to least important. On a 4-point scale, participants' mean STU score was 2.39, and, on a 5-point scale, mean STOD score was 3.05. The results indicate that satisfaction with dating apps and with resulting offline dates is strongly predicted by participants' age and by their motives for using Tinder (enhancement, emotional coping, socialization, finding "true love," or casual sexual partners), whereas the variables negatively associated with satisfaction were those related to psychopathology. Interestingly, 65.3 percent of app users were married or "in a relationship," and only 50.3 percent of app users were using it to meet someone offline. Generally, participants who engage with the app to cope with personal difficulties seem more likely to report higher levels of dissatisfaction, suggesting that dating apps are a poor coping mechanism and highlighting the need to address underlying problems or pathologies that may be driving their use.

Gay Dating Apps Usage, Body Dissatisfaction, and Disordered Eating in Chinese Young Gay Men.

There is a paucity of research on the links between gay dating apps usage and body dissatisfaction and disordered eating, especially for muscularity dissatisfaction and muscularity-oriented disordered eating in non-Western contexts. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the associations between gay dating apps usage, body image inflexibility, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating with the inclusion of both body fat and muscularity dissatisfaction and both thinness-and muscularity-oriented disordered eating in a sample of Chinese young gay men. A total of 247 Chinese young gay men (mean age: 21.92 ± 2.74 years) were recruited. Gay dating apps usage, body fat dissatisfaction, muscularity dissatisfaction, body image inflexibility, and thinness-and muscularity-oriented disordered eating were evaluated. Pearson correlation and mediation analyses were conducted. Gay dating apps usage was positively correlated with body fat dissatisfaction (r = .20, p = .002), muscularity dissatisfaction (r = .17, p = .006), thinness-oriented disordered eating (r = .21, p < .001), and muscularity-oriented disordered eating (r = .29, p < .001), and these relationships could be mediated by body image inflexibility. Findings support technologically-informed prevention and intervention strategies for eating and body image disturbances in gay men in the Chinese context.

Dating App Use and Sexual Risk: Understanding the Associations between Casual Sex Motivation, Number of Sexual Partners, and STI Diagnoses.

Objective: This study focused on casual sex motivation to explore why some users tend to have more sexual partners and are more likely to take risks in sexual practices, thereby raising their chances of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Methods: We recruited Chinese heterosexual dating app users (N = 582) online to investigate the serial mediation model. Results: Casual sex motivation for dating app use was not directly related to the diagnoses of STIs. Number of sexual partners and frequency of risky sexual behavior serially mediated the relationship between casual sex motivation and STI diagnoses. Conclusions: Using dating apps for casual sex motivation is not necessarily associated with higher incidences of STIs, provided that users do not engage in risky sexual practices.

Modeling of the Chinese Dating App Use Motivation Scale According to Item Response Theory and Classical Test Theory.

Dating apps are popular worldwide among young adults, and the Tinder use motivation scale is widely used to measure the primary motives for dating app use. In light of the increasing prevalence of dating apps among young Chinese adults, this study applied both item response theory and traditional classical test theory to examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the dating app use motivation scale that is applicable across different dating apps. In total, 1046 current or former dating app users (age range: 18-30, M = 26.20, SD = 4.26, 52.30% girls) completed the online survey. From the original item pool, this study selected 25 items according to item response theory analysis, retracted six factors based on exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and conducted confirmatory factor analysis for further validation. The motivations were seeking a relationship, self-worth validation, the thrill of excitement, ease of communication, emotion-focused coping, and fun. The first four motivations were consistent with the original scale, and two new motivations were found in the present sample. All six motivations were validated among the Chinese sample. Not consistent with the Tinder use motivation scale, casual sex was not identified as a primary motivation among young Chinese adults. One related measure was used to obtain convergent validity. The discussion focused on the cultural and methodological factors that may explain the differences between the original scale and the Chinese version of the scale.

Sexting Victimization Among Dating App Users: A Comparison of U.S. and Chinese College Students.

The widespread use of digital technology and devices has fundamentally transformed people's social life in recent decades, particularly in interpersonal relationships. Two popular social phenomena elucidate how social connections and interactions have dramatically evolved due to technological advancement. Sexting has surfaced as a popular way of getting attention or flirting among young populations over the past decade. Online dating also has emerged as a viable avenue for people to seek interpersonal romantic and/or sexual relationships. Based on survey data collected from two Chinese universities and one U.S. university, this study links sexting and online dating by comparatively assessing the prevalence of sexting victimization and factors influencing such victimization among young online daters. Bivariate and multiple analyses reveal that American college students are more inclined than their Chinese counterparts to be victims of receiving sexts. Chinese students with higher degrees of rape myth acceptance are more likely to experience sexting victimization, but such an association does not exist among U.S. students. Internet-related activities were only weakly connected to sexting victimization among college students. LGBT young adults, regardless of their country affiliation, are at a higher risk for sexting misconduct. Female and younger American students were more likely to experience sexting victimization, whereas Chinese students in a romantic relationship were more inclined to experience sexting victimization. If possible, future research should employ a random sampling strategy to draw a larger number of college students from different types of universities in different regions. Future studies should include other theoretically relevant variables, such as self-control and opportunity variables, into the sexting victimization research.

Geosocial Networking App Use Associated With Sexual Risk Behavior and Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Use Among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex With Men: Cross-sectional Web-Based Survey.

BACKGROUND: In the United States, geosocial networking (GSN) apps (ie, mobile dating apps) have become central to dating and sexual interactions in recent years. Among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM), these apps play an important role in reducing barriers and facilitating partner seeking. However, despite these benefits, there are concerns that these apps may facilitate risky sexual behavior and transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among GBM. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the association between GSN app use and sexual risk in a US sample of GBM. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional design, respondents (N=223) completed a web-based survey assessing their use of GSN apps, sexual risk and protective behaviors, HIV serostatus, and previous STI diagnoses. RESULTS: Respondents were aged 21-78 (mean 31.90, SD 10.06) years and 69.5% (155/223) were non-Hispanic White. The sample included respondents from 40 states and the District of Columbia. Nearly half (104/223, 47%) of the participants reported using GSN apps. GSN users were more likely to report past-year condomless anal intercourse (P<.001), 3 or more sexual partners in the previous year (P<.001), and a previous STI diagnosis (P=.001) than nonusers. GSN users also reported more frequent use of recreational drugs before sex (P=.001), alcohol use before sex (P<.001), and cannabis use before sex (P=.01). Interestingly, GSN users were also more likely to report having ever taken an HIV test (P<.001) and using pre-exposure prophylaxis (P=.03). The rates of HIV seropositivity did not differ significantly between GSN users and nonusers (P=.53). Among the subset of GSN users, 38 participants reported using only GBM-specific GSN apps (eg, Grindr), whereas 27 participants reported using only sexuality nonspecific GSN apps (eg, Tinder). Exclusive users of GBM-specific apps reported more frequent recreational drug use before sex (P=.01) and were also more likely to report past-year condomless anal intercourse (P<.001), 3 or more sexual partners in the previous year (P=.004), a previous STI diagnosis (P=.002), and HIV testing (P=.003). Alcohol use before sex, cannabis use before sex, pre-exposure prophylaxis use, and HIV rates were similar between both groups (P>.11). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that GSN apps may be a useful pathway for interventions aimed at reducing STI risk in GBM. Future prospective studies should examine how risk levels change after the initiation of GSN app use.

Chinese affective platform economies: dating, live streaming, and performative labor on Blued.

This article analyzes the political economy of sexually affective data on the Chinese gay dating platform Blued. Having launched in 2012 as a location-based dating app akin to Grindr, Blued has now become a multipurpose platform providing extra services such as newsfeeds and live streaming. Through the continuous imbrication of old and new functionalities and related affordances, users are transformed from dating subjects into performative laborers. Based on Internet ethnographic research that lasted 2 years, this article focuses on sexual-affective data flows (e.g. virtual gifting, following, liking, commenting, and sharing) produced by gay live streamers within the parameters of same-sex desires such as infatuation, sexual arousal, and online intimacy. It argues that these sexually affective data flows increasingly constitute key corporate assets with which Blued attracts venture capital. This analysis of live streamers and their viewers extends understandings of dating apps in two ways. First, it shows how these apps now function as business platforms on top of being channels for hooking up. Second, it emphasizes that whereas users created data freely, now it is produced by paid labor.

Association between Syphilis Incidence and Dating App Use in Japan.

INTRODUCTION: The cause of the syphilis resurgence in Japan is still unknown. In this study, we hypothesized that the spread of mobile dating software for use on mobile phones might have contributed to it. We investigated possible contributing factors of the syphilis resurgence in Japan. METHODS: We retrieved the number of reported cases of syphilis, human immunodeficiency virus infection, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae infection, invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae infection, general population, foreign national residents, international overnight guests, detachment-type sex trade shops, physician density, and smartphone penetration rate at the prefectural level in 2017. We also obtained the number of three major dating app users in each prefecture. Using them, we performed association analyses. RESULTS: The median of syphilis incidence per 100,000 prefectural population was 2.34 (range 0.72 to 12.90). The values of Spearman's rank correlation coefficients between syphilis incidence and app penetration rates were 0.59 (p < 0.001) for app 1, 0.57 (p < 0.001) for app 2, and 0.56 for app 3 (p < 0.001). The values of correlation coefficient between syphilis incidence and prefectural population (0.50, p < 0.001), foreign national residents per prefectural population (0.46, p = 0.001), and smartphone penetration rate (0.54, p < 0.001) were significant, while international overnight guests per prefectural population (0.19, p = 0.19), sex trade shops (0.24, p = 0.10), and physician density (0.10, p = 0.52) were not. In the multiple regression analyses, the contents of an optimized model included the following two factors: for app 1 penetration rate (0.39, p < 0.001) and the number of sex trade shops per prefectural population (0.18, p = 0.008) with the adjusted R-squared value 0.49 and F value 22.97 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Dating app penetration rate was significantly associated with syphilis incidence. The popularization of social media is a possible contributing factor in the syphilis resurgence in Japan. Information concerning the use of social media should be included in future studies on transmission and prevention of sexually transmitted infections.

The Role of Gay Identity Confusion and Outness in Sex-Seeking on Mobile Dating Apps Among Men Who Have Sex With Men: A Conditional Process Analysis.

Mobile dating apps are now a popular platform for men who have sex with men (MSM) to connect with others. Based on the uses and gratifications (U&G) theory, this study explores the relationship between sex-seeking and the number of casual sex partners met through MSM-based mobile dating apps (Grindr, Jack'd, and SCRUFF). The conditional process analysis (N = 401) shows that this relationship was significant and was mediated by the intensity of app use. That is, sex-seeking indirectly affected the number of casual sex partners through the intensity of app use. Furthermore, gay identity confusion and outness to the world moderated this indirect effect: it was stronger when the user was either more confused about his sexuality or was less out to the world. This research introduces an alternative way to incorporate psychographics variables into the U&G framework.