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CSIRO Publishing, Sexual Health, 2(19), p. 92-100, 2022

DOI: 10.1071/sh21235

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Sexual behaviour during COVID-19: a repeated cross-sectional survey in Victoria, Australia

This paper was not found in any repository, but could be made available legally by the author.
This paper was not found in any repository, but could be made available legally by the author.

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Abstract

Background During 2020, the State of Victoria (Australia) experienced two COVID-19 waves. Both resulted in community lockdowns followed by eased restrictions. We examined variation of sexual behaviour in Victorians over time during COVID-19. Methods We conducted a repeated online survey at four timepoints corresponding with two lockdown (LD1, LD2) and two reduced restriction (RR1, RR2) periods in Victoria. A convenience sample of participants aged ≥18 years was recruited via social media and asked about their recent (past 4 weeks) sexual behaviour. Using multivariable logistic regression, we investigated variation in sexual behaviour between surveys. Results A total of 1828 surveys were completed; 72% identified as female, 69% were aged 18–29 years, 90% were metropolitan residents. The proportion reporting recent partnered sex ranged from 54.9% (LD2) to 70.2% (RR1). Across all timepoints, the most common sexual partners were regular (81.5%, n = 842) and 10.8% (n = 111) reported casual partners (e.g. hook-ups). Compared with LD1, respondents were >2-fold more likely to report casual partner(s) during reduced restrictions (RR1: aOR 2.0; 95% CI 1.1–3.7; RR2: aOR 2.8; 95% CI 1.3–5.9). Across all timepoints, 26.6% (n = 486) reported using dating apps. Compared with LD1, dating app use for face-to-face activities (e.g. dates, hook-ups) was >4-fold higher during reduced restrictions (RR1: aOR 4.3; 95% CI 2.3–8.0; RR2: aOR 4.1; 95% CI 1.9–8.8). App use for distanced activities (e.g. sexting, virtual dates) was highest during LD1 (48.8%) than other periods. Conclusions In this convenience sample, self-reported sexual behaviours fluctuated between lockdowns and reduced restrictions. While dating apps may provide a mechanism for virtual connections, this may be temporary until physical connections are possible.