IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i17p8924-d621385.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sextech Use as a Potential Mental Health Reprieve: The Role of Anxiety, Depression, and Loneliness in Seeking Sex Online

Author

Listed:
  • Alexandra S. Marcotte

    (The Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA)

  • Ellen M. Kaufman

    (The Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
    Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA)

  • Jessica T. Campbell

    (The Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA)

  • Tania A. Reynolds

    (The Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
    Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA)

  • Justin R. Garcia

    (The Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
    Department of Gender Studies, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA)

  • Amanda N. Gesselman

    (The Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA)

Abstract

Depression, anxiety, and loneliness have long been recognized as global mental health concerns. To temporarily relieve psychological distress, self-soothing behavior is common, including engagement in sexual behaviors that are linked to positive mental well-being. Considering the COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated many mental health ailments alongside physical distancing regulations, we specifically examined online sexual behavior via the use of emergent digital sexual technologies, or sextech. In a 2019 study of 8004 American adults, we assessed whether people experiencing higher anxiety, depression, and/or loneliness were more likely to engage in sextech use. Furthermore, we examined whether anxiety or depression mediated the association between loneliness and sextech use, as loneliness is one contributor to anxiety and depression. People with higher anxiety and depression were more likely to engage in sextech. However, those who were more lonely were less likely to engage with sextech, suggesting the aforementioned patterns were not due to lack of social connection. Our findings suggest people with mental health struggles may be drawn to interactive, digital forms of sexual behavior as a means of alleviating symptoms through distraction or self-soothing. This insight offers an important pathway for expanding the scope of mental health interventions, particularly as technology becomes increasingly prevalent and accessible in everyday life.

Suggested Citation

  • Alexandra S. Marcotte & Ellen M. Kaufman & Jessica T. Campbell & Tania A. Reynolds & Justin R. Garcia & Amanda N. Gesselman, 2021. "Sextech Use as a Potential Mental Health Reprieve: The Role of Anxiety, Depression, and Loneliness in Seeking Sex Online," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-15, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:17:p:8924-:d:621385
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/17/8924/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/17/8924/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Felix Müller & Susanne Röhr & Ulrich Reininghaus & Steffi G. Riedel-Heller, 2021. "Social Isolation and Loneliness during COVID-19 Lockdown: Associations with Depressive Symptoms in the German Old-Age Population," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-11, March.
    2. Rodrigo J. Carcedo & Noelia Fernández-Rouco & Andrés A. Fernández-Fuertes & José Luis Martínez-Álvarez, 2020. "Association between Sexual Satisfaction and Depression and Anxiety in Adolescents and Young Adults," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-17, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Bopaki Phogole & Kowiyou Yessoufou, 2023. "Greener Neighbourhoods Show Resilience to the Spread but Not Severity of COVID-19 Infection in South Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-16, October.
    2. Zhengyan Liang & Derong Kang & Minqiang Zhang & Yuanlin Xia & Qing Zeng, 2021. "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Chinese Postgraduate Students’ Mental Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-12, November.
    3. Mateja Lorber & Jožica Černe Kolarič & Sergej Kmetec & Barbara Kegl, 2023. "Association between Loneliness, Well-Being, and Life Satisfaction before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-12, February.
    4. Takashi Oshio & Hiromi Kimura & Toshimi Nishizaki & Susumu Kuwahara, 2022. "At Which Area Level Does COVID-19 Infection Matter Most for an Individual’s Self-Rated Health? A Multilevel Fixed-Effects Model Analysis in Japan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-11, July.
    5. Hiroshi Murayama & Ryo Okubo & Takahiro Tabuchi, 2021. "Increase in Social Isolation during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Association with Mental Health: Findings from the JACSIS 2020 Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-12, August.
    6. Takashi Oshio & Hiromi Kimura & Shingo Nakazawa & Susumu Kuwahara, 2023. "Evolutions of Self-Rated Health and Social Interactions during the COVID-19 Pandemic Affected by Pre-Pandemic Conditions: Evidence from a Four-Wave Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-11, March.
    7. Sina K. Gerhards & Melanie Luppa & Susanne Röhr & Alexander Pabst & Alexander Bauer & Thomas Frankhänel & Juliane Döhring & Catharina Escales & Isabel Renate Zöllinger & Anke Oey & Christian Brettschn, 2023. "Depression and Anxiety in Old Age during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Study of Individuals at Cardiovascular Risk and the General Population," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-13, February.
    8. Rubén López-Bueno & Guillermo F. López-Sánchez & Alejandro Gil-Salmerón & Igor Grabovac & Mark A. Tully & José Casaña & Lee Smith, 2021. "COVID-19 Confinement and Sexual Activity in Spain: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-9, March.
    9. Roger O’Sullivan & Annette Burns & Gerard Leavey & Iracema Leroi & Vanessa Burholt & James Lubben & Julianne Holt-Lunstad & Christina Victor & Brian Lawlor & Mireya Vilar-Compte & Carla M. Perissinott, 2021. "Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Loneliness and Social Isolation: A Multi-Country Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-18, September.
    10. Lorena P. Gallardo-Peralta & José Luis Gálvez-Nieto & Paula Fernández-Dávila & Constanza Veloso-Besio, 2023. "Loneliness and Psychosocial Resources among Indigenous and Afro-Descendant Older People in Rural Areas of Chile," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-14, January.
    11. Lidia Mierzejewska & Kamila Sikorska-Podyma & Marta Szejnfeld & Magdalena Wdowicka & Bogusz Modrzewski & Ewa Lechowska, 2023. "The Role of Greenery in Stress Reduction among City Residents during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(10), pages 1-19, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:17:p:8924-:d:621385. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.