engleski

The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sexual behavior of the University of Osijek students

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected people’s daily lives and habits all around the world. The introduction of sudden restrictions, quarantine, and travel bans had primarily affected the younger, student population, which was accustomed to their specific lifestyle and habits. In addition to mental and physical health, and the possible consequences for them, it is important to consider the influence of the pandemic on another important segment of young people's lives – sexuality. OBJECTIVE: To compare students’ sexual behavior before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and to determine the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sexual behavior and sexual activity of students at the University of Osijek. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: The study included 765 students, who participated in the online survey, designed for this study. Participants were recruited through social media in the period from mid-May to mid-June 2020. The exclusion criteria were being a minor and studying outside the University of Osijek. The survey was completely anonymous and voluntary and consisted of 27 questions. RESULTS: Students’ median age was 23 (range 21 – 24) years. There were 23.8% male and 76.2% female students. The study revealed a statistically significant connection between the influence of pandemics on sexual activities and the increase in the need for sex during a pandemic (χ2-test ; p<0.001) and between the existence of sexual frustrations during a pandemic and an increase in the need to watch pornographic content during a pandemic (χ2-test ; p<0.001). Moreover, a significant connection was found between the existence of sexual frustration and the increased frequency of sexual intercourse during a pandemic (χ2-test ; p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The results obtained in this study suggested the negative influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on students' sexual behavior and activities. Due to the relatively short time of data collection and the limited number of participants, further studies are needed to determine the real influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on students' sexual behavior and activities.

sexual behavior ; sexual activity ; university students ; Croatia

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