Abstract
To date, the relationship between alcohol use and dating app use has been investigated mostly in conjunction with sexual activities and in homosexual men. For this reason, the aim of this study was to explore the association between dating app use and alcohol consumption among the general population. A cross-sectional study was conducted including app users, non-users, and former users: 1278 respondents completed an online ad hoc questionnaire assessing dating app use, motivations for installing dating apps, alcohol use, and demographics. Multiple logistic regression analysis was run to investigate the association between dating app use, demographic features, and alcohol consumption. Whereas educational level, age, and gender significantly contributed to the regular consumption of alcohol, dating app use did not account for a significant amount of variance between regular and not regular drinkers. However, people who installed and used dating apps with the motivation of searching for sexual partners were more likely to be regular drinkers. Among the active users, heavy app users were less likely to drink regularly. The study indicates that underlying factors (sexual aspects, motives for using the apps) and the intensity of using the apps may mediate the relationship between dating app use and alcohol use.
Highlights
IntroductionPublisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
Where results were statistically significant, we calculated the odds ratio (OR) or the standardized residuals (z) (Field et al 2012)
This cross-sectional study explored the association between the use of mobile dating apps and alcohol consumption
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. During the last decade, dating apps represented a ground-breaking tool that drastically changed social relationships. Smartphone applications, are online dating services, usually downloadable on smartphones for free. Taking advantage of the smartphone GPS location capabilities, they show the profiles and photos of people nearby, to enhance the probability of dating. Two of the most used dating apps are Grindr, geared towards men who have sex with men (MSM), and Tinder, geared towards males and females of all sexual orientations
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