STUDY OF CHANGES IN SEXUAL BEHAVIOR IN COUPLES FACING DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47820/jht.v3i1.46

Keywords:

digital technologies, social isolation, sexual behavior, psychiatric symptoms, mental disorder

Abstract

Digital technologies are popular means of exchanging, communicating, and accessing information, and their use has been increasing in recent years. Studies of changes in society's behavior are observed because of the new way of communicating and relating. To evaluate the sexual behavior of couples during the period of social isolation imposed by the pandemic and the frequent use of Digital Technologies (DTs), an online cross-sectional survey was carried out to obtain information on sexual behavior and the use of TDs. A total of 1,357 individuals were interviewed using the Google Forms tool, of which 616 were eligible to participate in the survey. According to the data obtained, DTs were used by 24.02% of the study participants, in which a change in sexual behavior was observed in this group that has the habit of using DTs. The logistic regression analysis verified an association between the variables that predicted significant and positive changes in the sexual behavior of individuals, which points to a tendency towards change in sexual behavior given the greater use of DTs.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Isabela Melca

Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro - UFRJ.

Rachel de Moraes Ferreira

Fundação Oswaldo Cruz - Fiocruz.

Antonio Egidio Nardi

Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro - UFRJ.

Anna Lucia Spear King

Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro - UFRJ.

References

ANAND, N.; THOMAS, C.; JAIN, P. A. et al. Internet use behaviors, internet addiction and psychological distress among medical college students: A multi centre study from South India. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, v. 37, p. 71–77, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2018.07.020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2018.07.020

ANSHARI, M.; ALAS, Y.; HARDAKER, G. et al. Smartphone habit and behavior in Brunei: Personalization, gender, and generation gap. Computers in Human Behavior, v. 64, p. 719–727, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.07.063 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.07.063

BALHARA, Y. P. S.; SINGH, S.; SAINI, R. et al. Should Internet gaming disorder be considered a subtype of generalized problematic internet use? Findings from a study among medical college students. Perspect Psychiatr Care, v. 57, p. 272–278, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppc.12558 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ppc.12558

BAUMEISTER, R. F. Social psychology and human sexuality: essential readings. Psychology Press, 2001.

BAUMEISTER, R. F.; CATANESE, K. R.; VOHS, K. D. Is There a Gender Difference in Strength of Sex Drive? Theoretical Views, Conceptual Distinctions, and a Review of Relevant Evidence. Pers Soc Psychol Rev., v. 5, p. 242–273, 2001. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327957PSPR0503_5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327957PSPR0503_5

BE KNOWN THERAPY. The rise of virtual intimacy: pros and cons of digital connections. Be Known Therapy, 2023. https://www.beknowntherapy.com/blog/virtual-intimacy. Accessed 27 Dec 2023

BOONVISUDHI, T.; KULADEE, S. Association between Internet addiction and depression in Thai medical students at Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital. PLoS ONE, v. 12, p. e0174209, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0174209 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0174209

BRANDT, L.; LIU, S.; HEIM, C.; HEINZ, A. The effects of social isolation stress and discrimination on mental health. Transl Psychiatry, v. 12, p. 398, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-022-02178-4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-022-02178-4

BZDOK, D.; DUNBAR, R. I. M. Social isolation and the brain in the pandemic era. Nat Hum Behav., v. 6, p. 1333–1343, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01453-0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01453-0

CABELLO, F.; SÁNCHEZ, F.; FARRÉ, J. M.; MONTEJO, A. L. Consensus on Recommendations for Safe Sexual Activity during the COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic. JCM, v. 9, p. 2297, 2020. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9072297 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9072297

CAI, H.; XI, H.; ZHU, Q. et al. Prevalence of problematic Internet use and its association with quality of life among undergraduate nursing students in the later stage of COVID‐19 pandemic era in China. Am J Addict., v. 30, p. 585–592, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajad.13216 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ajad.13216

CAPETILLO-VENTURA, N.; JUÁREZ-TREVIÑO, M. Internet addiction in university medical students. Medicina Universitaria, v. 17, p. 88–93, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmu.2015.02.003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmu.2015.02.003

CÁRDENAS GARZA, S. A.; JANSSEN AGUILAR, R.; RUÍZ CHOW, Á. A. Problematic Internet Use and Personality Traits: Results in Working Age Adults. Revista Colombiana de Psiquiatría S0034745022000270, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcp.2022.03.002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcp.2022.03.002

CARLI, V.; DURKEE, T.; WASSERMAN, D. et al. The Association between Pathological Internet Use and Comorbid Psychopathology: A Systematic Review. Psychopathology, v. 46, p. 1–13, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1159/000337971 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1159/000337971

CASTRO, Á.; BARRADA, J. R. Dating Apps and Their Sociodemographic and Psychosocial Correlates: A Systematic Review. IJERPH, v. 17, p. 6500, 2020. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17186500 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17186500

CDC. WHO downgrades COVID pandemic, says it’s no longer a global emergency. [S. l.]: CDC, 2023. https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/who-pandemic-not-emergency-1.6833321. Accessed 21 May 2023

CHING, S. M.; HAMIDIN, A.; VASUDEVAN, R. et al. Prevalence and factors associated with internet addiction among medical students - A cross-sectional study in Malaysia. Med J Malaysia, v. 72, p. 7–11, 2017.

CIPRIANO, M.; GIACALONE, A.; RUBERTI, E. Sexual behaviors during COVID-19: the potential risk of transmission. Archives of Sexual Behavior, v. 49, p. 1431–1432, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-020-01757-0

CONRADIE, C. The impact of technology on modern marriage. [S. l.: s. n.], 2023. https://medium.com/@cassandraconradie/the-impact-of-technology-on-modern-marriages-39e5dd510a02. Accessed 27 Dec 2023

COURTICE, E. L.; SHAUGHNESSY, K. Technology-mediated sexual interaction and relationships: a systematic review of the literature. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, v. 32, p. 269–290, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681994.2017.1397948 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14681994.2017.1397948

DÖRING, N. How Is the COVID-19 Pandemic Affecting Our Sexualities? An Overview of the Current Media Narratives and Research Hypotheses. Arch Sex Behav., v. 49, p. 2765–2778, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-020-01790-z DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-020-01790-z

FALEK, I.; ACRI, M.; DOMINGUEZ, J. et al. Management of depression during the perinatal period: state of the evidence. Int J Ment Health Syst., v. 16, n. 21, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-022-00531-0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-022-00531-0

GAVIN, B. The Beginner’s Guide to Google Forms. How-to Geek [Viitattu 2210 2019] Saatavissa [s. n.], 2019. https://www howtogeek com/434570/the-beginners-guide-to-google-forms

GEDAM, S.; GHOSH, S.; MODi, L. et al. Study of internet addiction: Prevalence, pattern, and psychopathology among health professional undergraduates. Indian J Soc Psychiatry, v. 33, p. 305, 2017. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijsp.ijsp_70_16 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/ijsp.ijsp_70_16

GEDAM, S. R.; SHIVJI, I. A.; GOYAL, A. et al. Comparison of internet addiction, pattern and psychopathology between medical and dental students. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, v. 22, p. 105–110, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2016.06.007 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2016.06.007

GONÇALVES, L. L.; NARDI, A. E.; KING, A. S. Home office in the COVID-19 pandemic: Impacts on human behavior. Computers in Human Behavior, v. 29, p. 140–144, 2020.

GUEDES, E.; NARDI, A. E.; GUIMARÃES, F. M. C. L. et al. Social networking, a new online addiction: a review of Facebook and other addiction disorders. Medical Express, v. 3, 2016. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5935/MedicalExpress.2016.01.01

HARRIS, K. M.; ABOUJAOUDE, E. Online Friendship, Romance, and Sex: Properties and Associations of the Online Relationship Initiation Scale. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, v. 19, p. 487–493, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2016.0164 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2016.0164

IBARRA, F. P.; MEHRAD, M.; MAURO, M. D. et al. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sexual behavior of the population. The vision of the east and the west. International braz j urol., v. 46, p. 104–112, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/s1677-5538.ibju.2020.s116

LI, G.; TANG, D.; SONG, B. et al. Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Partner Relationships and Sexual and Reproductive Health: Cross-Sectional, Online Survey Study. J Med Internet Res, v. 22, p. e20961, 2020. https://doi.org/10.2196/20961 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2196/20961

LOMANOWSKA, A. M.; GUITTON, M. J. Online intimacy and well-being in the digital age. Internet Interventions, v. 4, p. 138–144, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2016.06.005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2016.06.005

LOPES, G. P.; VALE, F. B. C.; VIEIRA, I. et al. COVID-19 and Sexuality: Reinventing Intimacy. Arch Sex Behav., v. 49, p. 2735–2738, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-020-01796-7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-020-01796-7

MBOYA, I. B.; LEYARO, B. J.; KONGO, A. et al. Internet addiction and associated factors among medical and allied health sciences students in northern Tanzania: a cross-sectional study. BMC Psychol, v. 8, p. 73, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-020-00439-9 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-020-00439-9

MEIER, A.; TUNGER, D. Survey on opinions and usage patterns for the ResearchGate platform. PLoS ONE, v. 13, p. e0204945, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0204945 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0204945

MELCA, I. A.; NARDI, A. E.; GONÇALVES, L. L. et al. Sex, digital devices, social media, and social isolation: A study on sexual behavioral during COVID-19 pandemic. Clinical practice and epidemiology in mental health. CP & EMH, v. 17, p. 235, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2174/1745017902117010235

MORENO-GUERRERO, A-J.; GÓMEZ-GARCÍA, G.; LÓPEZ-BELMONTE, J.; RODRÍGUEZ-JIMÉNEZ, C. Internet addiction in the web of science database: a review of the literature with scientific mapping. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, v. 17, p. 2753, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17082753

NOGUERA NOVOA, C. N.; SARMIENTO-MELENDEZ, Y. T.; SIERRA-HINCAPIÉ, G. M.; GONZÁLEZ-DÍAZ, J. M. Síntomas depresivos en trabajadores de la salud dos años después del inicio de la pandemia COVID-19 en Bogotá, Colombia. Revista Colombiana de Psiquiatría, S0034745023000392, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcp.2023.04.006 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcp.2023.04.006

PAESTRY, R. I. Navigating digital intimacy: building meaningful connections in the digital age. [S. l.: s. n.], 2023. https://medium.com/@retnoika/navigating-digital-intimacy-building-meaningful-connections-in-the-digital-age-97054c0ac177. Accessed 27 Dec 2023

PAUL, G. M.; NASCIMENTO, B. C.; AFIF-ABDO, J. et al. The psychiatric impact of COVID-19 pandemic on sexual health. Braz J Psychiatry, v. 43, p. 109–109, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1590/1516-4446-2020-1197 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/1516-4446-2020-1197

RAMO, D. E.; RODRIGUEZ, T. M. S.; CHAVEZ, K. et al. Facebook recruitment of young adult smokers for a cessation trial: Methods, metrics, and lessons learned. Internet Interventions, v. 1, p. 58–64, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2014.05.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2014.05.001

RAZAVI, T. Self-report measures: An overview of concerns and limitations of questionnaire use in occupational stress research. [S. l.: s. n.], 2001.

SFOGGIA, A.; KOWACS, C. Sexualidade e novas tecnologias. Revista brasileira de Psicoterapia, v. 16, p. 4–17, 2014.

SHI, M.; DU, T. J. Associations of personality traits with internet addiction in Chinese medical students: the mediating role of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms. BMC Psychiatry, v. 19, p. 183, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-019-2173-9 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-019-2173-9

SJETNE, I. S.; IVERSEN, H. H.; HOLMBOE, O.; HELGELAND, J. Response probabilities and response-mode preferences in a self-administered survey. BMC Res Notes, v. 12, p. 289, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-019-4328-7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-019-4328-7

VASANTHA RAJU, N.; HARINARAYANA, N. Online survey tools: A case study of Google Forms. [S. l.: s. n.], 2016.

WHITAKER, C.; STEVELINK, S.; FEAR, N. The Use of Facebook in Recruiting Participants for Health Research Purposes: A Systematic Review. J Med Internet Res., v. 19, p. e290, 2017. https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.7071 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.7071

WHITE, G. Technology Use and Mental Health Disorders: Dueling Aspects of Technology as a Problem and a Solution for Mental Health. [S. l.: s. n.], 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33696/mentalhealth.3.014

WIJAYA, R. P. C.; BUNGA, B. N.; KILING, I. Y. Socio-emotional struggles of young children during COVID-19 pandemic: Social isolation and increased use of technologies. Journal of Early Childhood Research, v. 20, p. 113–127, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X211052789 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X211052789

ZATTONI, F.; GÜL, M.; SOLIGO, M. et al. The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on pornography habits: a global analysis of Google Trends. Int J Impot Res., v. 33, p. 824–831, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-020-00380-w DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-020-00380-w

ZUBAIR, U.; KHAN, M. K.; ALBASHARI, M. Link between excessive social media use and psychiatric disorders. Annals of Medicine & Surgery, v. 85, p. 875–878, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1097/MS9.0000000000000112 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/MS9.0000000000000112

Downloads

Published

01/03/2024

How to Cite

Melca, I., de Moraes Ferreira, R., Nardi, A. E., & King, A. L. S. (2024). STUDY OF CHANGES IN SEXUAL BEHAVIOR IN COUPLES FACING DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES. Journal Health and Technology - JHT, 3(1), e3146. https://doi.org/10.47820/jht.v3i1.46