Cargando…

Sex in the Time of COVID-19: Patterns of Sexual Behavior Among LGBTQ+ Individuals in the U.S.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus, the pathogen which causes COVID-19, has left an indelible impact on the daily lives of individuals in the USA. This study sought to explore the sexual behaviors among people in the LGBTQ+ population at the onset of the pandemic. Behaviors were explored across sub-groups of the...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Griffin, Marybec, Jaiswal, Jessica, Martino, Richard J., LoSchiavo, Caleb, Comer-Carruthers, Camilla, Krause, Kristen D., Stults, Christopher B., Halkitis, Perry N.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Springer US 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9033939/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35141814
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10508-022-02298-4
_version_ 1784693002859446272
author Griffin, Marybec
Jaiswal, Jessica
Martino, Richard J.
LoSchiavo, Caleb
Comer-Carruthers, Camilla
Krause, Kristen D.
Stults, Christopher B.
Halkitis, Perry N.
author_facet Griffin, Marybec
Jaiswal, Jessica
Martino, Richard J.
LoSchiavo, Caleb
Comer-Carruthers, Camilla
Krause, Kristen D.
Stults, Christopher B.
Halkitis, Perry N.
author_sort Griffin, Marybec
collection PubMed
description The SARS-CoV-2 virus, the pathogen which causes COVID-19, has left an indelible impact on the daily lives of individuals in the USA. This study sought to explore the sexual behaviors among people in the LGBTQ+ population at the onset of the pandemic. Behaviors were explored across sub-groups of the population. The study employed data from an internet survey about the impact of COVID-19 on LGBTQ+ identified individuals conducted between May and July 2020. The final sample was comprised of 1090 participants from across the USA. Overall, sexual activity and the number of sexual partners decreased after March 13, 2020 (as compared to before this date) across all sexual orientation groups; however, living situation and partnership status supported sexual activity. Gay and bisexual men living with a partner or a spouse (AOR = 2.20, p = .023) and those living with a non-romantic roommate or friend (AOR = 2.88, p = .004) reported more sexual activity. For both cisgender lesbian and bisexual women and transgender and non-binary individuals, those who were married or in a domestic partnership (AOR = 4.54, p < .001; AOR = 9.97, p < .001, respectively) and those in a committed relationship (AOR = 3.54, p = .001; AOR = 8.46, p < .001, respectively) reported more sexual activity. Additionally, cisgender lesbian and bisexual women living with their partner or spouse (AOR = 2.14, p = .044) reported more sexual activity. When examining the number of sexual partners, cisgender lesbian and bisexual women and transgender and non-binary individuals in a committed relationship (AOR = 0.31, p < 0.001; AOR = 0.26, p = .004, respectively) and those living with a partner or spouse (AOR = 0.30, p = .002; AOR = 0.25, p = .028, respectively) were less likely to report two or more sexual partners. Examining the changes in sexual activity and number of sexual partners helps us better identify the effects of COVID-19 on intimate relationships and sexual behaviors. Furthermore, this study may help develop clinical best practices to facilitate risk-reduction strategies for LGBTQ+ populations when engaging in sexual activity within a communicable disease framework. Current guidance on sexual activity within a pandemic has created a unique opportunity for sex-positive public health messaging that protects individual health while also offering a framework for conversations about risk mitigation that is applicable for both COVID-19 and STI/HIV prevention.
format Online
Article
Text
id pubmed-9033939
institution National Center for Biotechnology Information
language English
publishDate 2022
publisher Springer US
record_format MEDLINE/PubMed
spelling pubmed-90339392022-04-25 Sex in the Time of COVID-19: Patterns of Sexual Behavior Among LGBTQ+ Individuals in the U.S. Griffin, Marybec Jaiswal, Jessica Martino, Richard J. LoSchiavo, Caleb Comer-Carruthers, Camilla Krause, Kristen D. Stults, Christopher B. Halkitis, Perry N. Arch Sex Behav Special Section: Impact of Covid-19 on Sexual Health and Behavior The SARS-CoV-2 virus, the pathogen which causes COVID-19, has left an indelible impact on the daily lives of individuals in the USA. This study sought to explore the sexual behaviors among people in the LGBTQ+ population at the onset of the pandemic. Behaviors were explored across sub-groups of the population. The study employed data from an internet survey about the impact of COVID-19 on LGBTQ+ identified individuals conducted between May and July 2020. The final sample was comprised of 1090 participants from across the USA. Overall, sexual activity and the number of sexual partners decreased after March 13, 2020 (as compared to before this date) across all sexual orientation groups; however, living situation and partnership status supported sexual activity. Gay and bisexual men living with a partner or a spouse (AOR = 2.20, p = .023) and those living with a non-romantic roommate or friend (AOR = 2.88, p = .004) reported more sexual activity. For both cisgender lesbian and bisexual women and transgender and non-binary individuals, those who were married or in a domestic partnership (AOR = 4.54, p < .001; AOR = 9.97, p < .001, respectively) and those in a committed relationship (AOR = 3.54, p = .001; AOR = 8.46, p < .001, respectively) reported more sexual activity. Additionally, cisgender lesbian and bisexual women living with their partner or spouse (AOR = 2.14, p = .044) reported more sexual activity. When examining the number of sexual partners, cisgender lesbian and bisexual women and transgender and non-binary individuals in a committed relationship (AOR = 0.31, p < 0.001; AOR = 0.26, p = .004, respectively) and those living with a partner or spouse (AOR = 0.30, p = .002; AOR = 0.25, p = .028, respectively) were less likely to report two or more sexual partners. Examining the changes in sexual activity and number of sexual partners helps us better identify the effects of COVID-19 on intimate relationships and sexual behaviors. Furthermore, this study may help develop clinical best practices to facilitate risk-reduction strategies for LGBTQ+ populations when engaging in sexual activity within a communicable disease framework. Current guidance on sexual activity within a pandemic has created a unique opportunity for sex-positive public health messaging that protects individual health while also offering a framework for conversations about risk mitigation that is applicable for both COVID-19 and STI/HIV prevention. Springer US 2022-02-09 2022 /pmc/articles/PMC9033939/ /pubmed/35141814 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10508-022-02298-4 Text en © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2022 This article is made available via the PMC Open Access Subset for unrestricted research re-use and secondary analysis in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for the duration of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic.
spellingShingle Special Section: Impact of Covid-19 on Sexual Health and Behavior
Griffin, Marybec
Jaiswal, Jessica
Martino, Richard J.
LoSchiavo, Caleb
Comer-Carruthers, Camilla
Krause, Kristen D.
Stults, Christopher B.
Halkitis, Perry N.
Sex in the Time of COVID-19: Patterns of Sexual Behavior Among LGBTQ+ Individuals in the U.S.
title Sex in the Time of COVID-19: Patterns of Sexual Behavior Among LGBTQ+ Individuals in the U.S.
title_full Sex in the Time of COVID-19: Patterns of Sexual Behavior Among LGBTQ+ Individuals in the U.S.
title_fullStr Sex in the Time of COVID-19: Patterns of Sexual Behavior Among LGBTQ+ Individuals in the U.S.
title_full_unstemmed Sex in the Time of COVID-19: Patterns of Sexual Behavior Among LGBTQ+ Individuals in the U.S.
title_short Sex in the Time of COVID-19: Patterns of Sexual Behavior Among LGBTQ+ Individuals in the U.S.
title_sort sex in the time of covid-19: patterns of sexual behavior among lgbtq+ individuals in the u.s.
topic Special Section: Impact of Covid-19 on Sexual Health and Behavior
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9033939/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35141814
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10508-022-02298-4
work_keys_str_mv AT griffinmarybec sexinthetimeofcovid19patternsofsexualbehavioramonglgbtqindividualsintheus
AT jaiswaljessica sexinthetimeofcovid19patternsofsexualbehavioramonglgbtqindividualsintheus
AT martinorichardj sexinthetimeofcovid19patternsofsexualbehavioramonglgbtqindividualsintheus
AT loschiavocaleb sexinthetimeofcovid19patternsofsexualbehavioramonglgbtqindividualsintheus
AT comercarrutherscamilla sexinthetimeofcovid19patternsofsexualbehavioramonglgbtqindividualsintheus
AT krausekristend sexinthetimeofcovid19patternsofsexualbehavioramonglgbtqindividualsintheus
AT stultschristopherb sexinthetimeofcovid19patternsofsexualbehavioramonglgbtqindividualsintheus
AT halkitisperryn sexinthetimeofcovid19patternsofsexualbehavioramonglgbtqindividualsintheus