JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Dating apps have considerably changed how many queer individuals are forming social, sexual, and romantical connections. Despite evidence that social media use is associated with both diminished and improved mental health outcomes, few studies have explored the association between dating apps and the mental health of queer adults.

Objective:

Using reparative theory and a transformative paradigm, this research sought to critically explore the association between dating apps and mental health outcomes among queer adults in Canada.

Methods:

We employed a convergent mixed methods design comprising an online survey (N=250) and one-on-one interviews (N=22) among queer adults from across Canada. Participants were recruited using advertisements on Grindr. Participants were selected to represent a diversity of gender identities, sexual orientations, ethno-racial identities, ages, and locations. The survey and interview guide collected information on similar domains including dating app use characteristics and mental health symptoms. A structural equation model assessed the association between the intensity of dating app use and mental health outcomes (life satisfaction, depression, anxiety, self-esteem). The model further assessed how motivations for use were related to mental health outcomes and the role of discrimination and community connectedness as intermediary variables. Hybrid reflexive thematic analysis (data-driven and theoretically informed) interrogated the in-depth accounts of queer adults to elucidate the mechanisms of power relations and how they are resisted/refused through the mundane and everyday.

Results:

Participants used an average of 3.22 dating apps, most commonly for casual sex (n=208, 83.5%). Dating app use was associated with increased life satisfaction (β=0.31, P<.001) and self-esteem (β=0.21, P=.02) but not depression (β=-0.16, P=.07) or anxiety (β=-0.11, P=.20). Discrimination and seeking social approval were associated with adverse mental health. Although seeking friendship was the least commonly reported motivation (n=98, 39.4%), queer people often made friends through intimacy and unintentionally, and increased community connection was associated with heightened life satisfaction (β=0.18, P=.01) and self-esteem (β=0.13, P=.04). Participants described managing negative impacts of use, including by adjusting expectations, utilizing technological features to avoid unwanted interactions, and welcoming unexpected interactions in addition to their desired connections from use.

Conclusions:

Queer peoples use dating apps conscientiously, leveraging hope and serendipity to stumble upon novel and welcomed connections. Queer users are employing strategies to promote their wellbeing to navigate the threatening virtual socio-sexual space. This research provides nuance to the relationship between dating app use and wellbeing, underscoring the context-dependent and temporally dynamic association between them.