Sexual Activity in Adolescents and Young Adults through COVID-19 Pandemic.

Chrysa Samiakou,Theodoros N. Sergentanis,Anastasia Kourti,Athanasios Thirios,Stauroula Tsiorou,Androniki Stavridou,Artemis Tsitsika,Theodora Psaltopoulou,Eleni Panagouli

doi:10.3390/children8070577

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been postulated that the sexual life of adolescent and young adults has been impacted in various aspects, potentially affecting their well-being. Our aim is to investigate the potential changes in the sexual activity and relationships of adolescents and young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. In general, a decrease in sexual desire was reported during the COVID-19 pandemic, in both genders. Fewer sexual intercourses and bonding behaviors between partners were associated with loneliness and depressive symptoms. On the contrary, an increase in sexual desire was expressed in a few people, with masturbation to be the most preferable means of satisfaction. The present paper highlights the multifaceted impact of COVID-19 upon the sexual life of adolescents and young adults during the ongoing pandemic. The changes observed in their sexual activity and relationships, could provide the basis of future preventive and educational programs.

Highlights

In December 2019, the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in Wuhan, China, raising concerns due to rapid spreading
The social distancing that was imposed led to the restriction of contacts between individuals, and has affected the frequency of sexual activity, number of sexual partners, sexual desire and satisfaction, and the use of pornographic content [9]
Sexual activity must refer to sexual desire, frequency of intercourses, number of sexual partners, sexual satisfaction or dissatisfaction, and sexual preferences among adolescents and young adults

Summary

Introduction

In December 2019, the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in Wuhan, China, raising concerns due to rapid spreading. 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the underlying cause of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which has spread worldwide, forcing the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare it as a pandemic on 11 March 2020 [1,2]. The fear of contacting the virus, as well as the public health measures, led people to diminish their visits to crowded places and many have faced difficulties in personal relationships, especially adolescents and young adults [4,5,6]. The social distancing that was imposed led to the restriction of contacts between individuals, and has affected the frequency of sexual activity, number of sexual partners, sexual desire and satisfaction, and the use of pornographic content [9]. According to the available literature, all these consequences seem to concern mainly younger individuals, such as adolescents and young adults [4,5,6,7,8,9]

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