ABSTRACT

Gay dating apps (GDAs) play a central role in partner-seeking for many men. The purpose of the present study was to explore health professionals’ perceptions of the effects of GDAs on young gay, bisexual, trans and queer men (YGBTQM). Because health professionals have access to privileged information about YGBTQM's experiences with GDAs, they can provide unique insights about their impacts on YGBTQM health and well-being. This study drew on 28 in-depth semi-structured qualitative interviews with health professionals who provide services to YGBTQM in British Columbia, Canada. Using thematic content analysis, we identified three themes showing participants’ conflicting perceptions of GDAs’ impacts on YGBTQM: (1) the accessibility of sex on GDAs as either transactional or pleasurable; (2) the building of community and increased safety, which at times corresponds with increased exposure to rejection and discrimination; and (3) a perceived escalation in sexual and drug-related risk-taking in conjunction with the opportunity for education, prevention and intervention. In response to the often polarizing literature on GDAs, this study is among the first to contribute empirical evidence into the perceptions of health professionals working with YGBTQM who use GDAs, while simultaneously providing actionable insights and strategies to help identify potential harms and maximize benefits.

摘要

同性恋约会应用程序 (GDA) 在许多男性寻找伴侣的过程中发挥着核心作用。本研究的目的是探讨卫生专业人员对 GDA 对年轻男同性恋、双性恋、跨性别者和酷儿男性 (YGBTQM) 影响的看法。由于卫生专业人员可以获得有关 YGBTQM 在 GDA 方面的经验的特权信息，因此他们可以提供有关其对 YGBTQM 健康和福祉影响的独特见解。本研究对加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省为 YGBTQM 提供服务的健康专业人士进行了 28 次深入的半结构化定性访谈。通过主题内容分析，我们确定了三个主题，显示参与者对 GDA 对 YGBTQM 影响的相互矛盾的看法：（1）GDA 上性的可及性是交易性的还是愉悦性的；(2) 社区建设和安全保障，有时这与遭受拒绝和歧视的机会增加有关；(3) 与教育、预防和干预机会相结合的性行为和毒品相关风险的感知升级。为了回应关于 GDA 的两极分化的文献，这项研究是第一个为使用 GDA 的 YGBTQM 卫生专业人员的看法提供经验证据的研究之一，同时提供可操作的见解和策略，以帮助识别潜在的危害并最大化收益。