Sociosexuality and Sexual Behavior in Men During the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT

Previous studies have shown that unrestricted sociosexuality is part of a quantitative strategy where individuals prioritize the search for multiple partners and is associated with earlier onset of sexual debut, infidelity, reduced sexual disgust, and risk-taking behaviors. Thus, we aimed to investigate the relationship between sociosexuality and sexual risky behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic due to its potential effects in sexual relationships in a long-standing period of physical distancing. Five hundred eighty-three men completed a series of online questionnaires regarding their sociosexuality, sexual experiences, and adherence to physical distancing recommendations. We found that only a small proportion of the sample had fully adhered to distancing guidelines. Sociosexuality correlated negatively with age at first sexual experience and positively with number of casual partners during the pandemic and frequency of unprotected sex with strangers. Both single and non-heterosexual (gays and bisexuals) men showed higher sociosexuality when compared to men in a relationship and heterosexual ones, respectively. Inconsistent adherence to physical distancing was associated with earlier age of sexual experience, higher number of casual sex, and higher frequency of unprotected sex with strangers. The results indicate that a large proportion of men engaged in some extent in health risk-taking sexual behaviors during the pandemic. As expected, sociosexuality was associated with variables previously found in other studies and with new ones investigated in the present study. We highlight the importance to acknowledge individual differences in response to a long period of distancing and its implications in the welfare of individuals, groups, and the population. © 2022, Associação Brasileira de Psicologia.