Abstract
Background: College-aged young adults belong to the age group (15-24 years) that is most affected by the STI burden, accounting for half of the 26 million new STIs in 2018. Online dating has been found to promote hookup culture and increase the risk for STIs. Low STI testing rates among college-aged young adults fuel the rising rates of STIs and require immediate research attention. Self-initiated STI testing is an understudied testing behavior that describes when an individual requests and completes testing without a clinician's immediate recommendation. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how college students who engage in online dating assess risk and self-initiate STI testing. Methods: Individual in-depth interviews were conducted with 47 college students aged 18 – 24 years. Participants were recruited from using social media posts, flyers distributed via email and around the university campus, and STUDYfinder. In addition to interviews, participants completed a demographic and sexual history questionnaire. Thematic analysis was used in the analysis of transcribed audio interviews. Result: Participants described the decision process of assessing STI risks and seeking STI tests following sexual encounters with partners met online. Some identified supporting themes include: Trust as protection, Transparency in online dating, Conversations before Hookups and Risk management through STI Testing. Conclusion: This study targets an intersection of online dating and self-initiated STI testing, a unique perspective in addressing the STI burden. Findings from this study will inform future studies that seek to study self-initiated testing further and create tailored interventions.
| Original language | English (US) |
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| State | Published - Oct 2021 |
| Event | American Public Health Association - Duration: Oct 14 2021 → … |
Conference
| Conference | American Public Health Association |
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| Abbreviated title | APHA |
| Period | 10/14/21 → … |
