A Latent Profile Analysis of Online Dating Patterns Among Single Young Men Who Have Sex with Men

Abstract

Despite the increased use of geosocial networking applications for finding sexual partners among young men who have sex with men (YMSM), few studies have examined the intricate patterns of online dating behaviors. In order to advance understanding of online dating patterns among YMSM, various factors, including how frequently and how much time is spent within partner-seeking sites, need to be examined concurrently. Therefore, we used latent profile analysis to identify online dating patterns and logistic regressions to examine their associations with sexual behaviors and relationship characteristics among single YMSM (N = 180; ages 18-24). We found three online dating patterns: discouraged users (N = 93, 52%), date seekers (N = 67, 37%), and instant lovers (N = 20, 11%). Discouraged users were less likely to seek sexual sensational activities, while date seekers were more likely to seek sexual sensational activities. Moreover, instant lovers were less likely to pursue committed romantic relationships, while they reported a higher number of condomless anal intercourse. Given that online dating patterns are not homogeneous, HIV prevention interventions may benefit from tailored approaches based on YMSM's different online dating profiles.

Keywords: Dating; Hooking-up; Relationship characteristics; Sexual behaviors; Sexual minority; Youth.

Figure 1.. Mean scores for the four online dating indicators by online dating patterns.

Note. The frequency of online dating to find a date/hookup employed a 6-point scale with response options ranged from 1=“Never” to 6=“About once a day.” The usefulness of using online dating to find a date/hookup employed a 4-point scale with response options ranged from 0=“Not at all” to 3=“Very much.” Discouraged users are defined as “YMSM who try to find a date over a hookup a few times per month, yet perceive that GSN applications are not reliable in helping find dates or hookups.” Date seekers are defined as “YMSM who try to find a date over a hookup weekly, yet perceive that GSN applications are more useful for hooking-up than dating.” Instant lovers are defined as “YMSM who try to find a hookup over a date several times a week, and perceive that GSN applications are more useful for hooking-up instead of dating.”