Abstract
Introduction
Individual differences in attachment differentially predict dating motivations and behaviors among heterosexual individuals. Remarkably, little research has examined such topics in men who have sex with men (MSM).
Methods
In a sample of 118 MSM, we examined whether individual differences in attachment were differentially associated with motivations for using Grindr, a widely used geosocial networking application (GSNA) among MSM, and whether these motivations, in turn, predicted problematic Grindr use and depression. Data were collected in 2019.
Results
Attachment anxiety was associated with use of Grindr for self-esteem enhancement; this motivation, in turn, predicted more problematic Grindr use and higher depression. Attachment anxiety was also associated with problematic Grindr use via use of Grindr for companionship purposes. Those higher in attachment avoidance reported using Grindr for escapism and due to the ease of communication it affords; these motivations, in turn, were associated with greater problematic Grindr use. There were also indirect effects of attachment avoidance on symptoms of depression via escapism.
Policy Implications
Results suggest that attachment insecurity is associated with maladaptive motivations for GSNA use, and these motivations may place MSM at greater risk for depression and problematic GSNA use. Implications for social policy and professional practice are discussed, including the importance of clinicians assessing for problematic patterns of GSNA use and the need for practitioner training to include a focus on the unique predictors of mental health and well-being among gender and sexual minorities.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Beymer, M. R., Weiss, R. E., Bolan, R. K., Rudy, E. T., Bourque, L. B., Rodriguez, J. P., & Morisky, D. E. (2014). Sex on demand: Geosocial networking phone apps and risk of sexually transmitted infections among a cross-sectional sample of men who have sex with men in Los Angeles County. Sexually Transmitted Infections, 90, 567–572. https://doi.org/10.1136/sextrans-2013-051494.
Blackwell, D., Leaman, C., Tramposch, R., Osborne, C., & Liss, M. (2017). Extraversion, neuroticism, attachment style and fear of missing out as predictors of social media use and addiction. Personality and Individual Differences, 116, 69–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.04.039.
Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment. Attachment and loss: Vol. 1. Loss: New York: Basic Books.
Cheng, S. T., & Kwan, K. W. (2008). Attachment dimensions and contingencies of self-worth: The moderating role of culture. Personality and Individual Differences, 45(6), 509–514. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2008.06.003.
Chin, K., Edelstein, R. S., & Vernon, P. A. (2019). Attached to dating apps: Attachment orientations and preferences for dating apps. Mobile Media & Communication, 7, 41–59. https://doi.org/10.1177/2050157918770696.
Dating Site Reviews (2020). Retrieved from: https://www.datingsitesreviews.com/staticpages/index.php?page=grindr-statistics-facts-history.
Fraley, R. C., Waller, N. G., & Brennan, K. A. (2000). An item response theory analysis of self-report measures of adult attachment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 350–365. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.78.2.350.
Goedel, W. C., & Duncan, D. T. (2015). Geosocial-networking app usage patterns of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men: Survey among users of Grindr, a mobile dating app. JMIR Public Health and Surveillance, 1(e4), 43–53. https://doi.org/10.2196/publichealth.
Griffiths, M. (2005). A ‘components’ model of addiction within a biopsychosocial framework. Journal of Substance use, 10(4), 191–197. https://doi.org/10.1080/14659890500114359.
Guerrero, L. K. (1996). Attachment-style differences in intimacy and involvement: A test of the four-category model. Communications Monographs, 63(4), 269–292. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637759609376395.
Hayes, A. F. (2017). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach (2nd ed.). New York, New York: Guilford.
Henry, J. D., & Crawford, J. R. (2005). The short-form version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21): Construct validity and normative data in a large non-clinical sample. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 44, 227–239. https://doi.org/10.1348/014466505X29657.
Licoppe, C. (2020). Liquidity and attachment in the mobile hookup culture. A comparative study of contrasted interactional patterns in the main uses of Grindr and Tinder. Journal of Cultural Economy, 13, 73–90. https://doi.org/10.1080/17530350.2019.1607530.
Lovibond, P. F., & Lovibond, S. H. (1995). The structure of negative emotional states: Comparison of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) with the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 33(3), 335–343. https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7967(94)00075-U.
Marino, C., Gini, G., Vieno, A., & Spada, M. M. (2018). A comprehensive meta-analysis on problematic Facebook use. Computers in Human Behavior, 83, 262–277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.02.009.
Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P. R. (2016). Attachment in adulthood: Structure, dynamics, and change. Guilford Press.
Mohr, J. J., & Jackson, S. D. (2016). Same-sex romantic attachment. In J. Cassidy & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), The Handbook of Attachment: Theory, Research and Clinical Applications (3rd ed., pp. 484–506). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Orosz, G., Benyo, M., Berkes, B., Nikoletti, E., Gál, É., Tóth-Király, I., & Bőthe, B. (2018). The personality, motivational, and need-based background of problematic Tinder use. Journal of behavioral addictions, 7(2), 301–316. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.7.2018.21.
Pepping, C. A., Lyons, A., & Morris, E. M. (2018a). Affirmative LGBT psychotherapy: Outcomes of a therapist training protocol. Psychotherapy, 55(1), 52–62. https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000149.
Pepping, C. A., MacDonald, G., & Davis, P. J. (2018b). Toward a psychology of singlehood: An attachment-theory perspective on long-term singlehood. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 27(5), 324–331. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721417752106.
Pepping, C. A., & MacDonald, G. (2019). Adult attachment and long-term singlehood. Current Opinion in Psychology, 25, 105–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.04.006.
Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2004). SPSS and SAS procedures for estimating indirect effects in simple mediation models. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 36, 717–731. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03206553.
Rice, E., Holloway, I., Winetrobe, H., Rhoades, H., Barman-Adhikari, A., Gibbs, J., Dunlap, S. (2012). Sex risk among young men who have sex with men who use grindr, a smartphone geosocial networking application . Journal of AIDS & Clinical Research, 1(S4), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.4172/2155-6113.S4-005.
Rochat, L., Bianchi-Demicheli, F., Aboujaoude, E., & Khazaal, Y. (2019). The psychology of “swiping”: A cluster analysis of the mobile dating app Tinder. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 8, 804–813. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.8.2019.58.
Satici, S. A., & Uysal, R. (2015). Well-being and problematic Facebook use. Computers in Human Behavior, 49, 185–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.03.005.
Sevi, B., Aral, T., & Eskenazi, T. (2018). Exploring the hook-up app: Low sexual disgust and high sociosexuality predict motivation to use Tinder for casual sex. Personality and Individual Differences, 133, 17–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.04.053.
Smock, A. D., Ellison, N. B., Lampe, C., & Wohn, D. Y. (2011). Facebook as a toolkit: A uses and gratification approach to unbundling feature use. Computers in Human Behavior, 27, 2322-2329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2011.07.011
Sumter, S. R., Vandenbosch, L., & Ligtenberg, L. (2017). Love me Tinder: Untangling emerging adults’ motivations for using the dating application Tinder. Telematics and Informatics, 34, 67–78.
Watson, R. J., Snapp, S., & Wang, S. (2017). What we know and where we go from here: A review of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth hookup literature. Sex Roles, 77(11–12), 801–811. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-017-0831-2.
Wei, M., Russell, D. W., Mallinckrodt, B., & Vogel, D. L. (2007). The Experiences in Close Relationship Scale (ECR)-short form: Reliability, validity, and factor structure. Journal of Personality Assessment, 88(2), 187–204. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223890701268041.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethical Approval
All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Informed Consent
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Jayawardena, E., Pepping, C.A., Lyons, A. et al. Geosocial Networking Application Use in Men Who Have Sex with Men: The Role of Adult Attachment. Sex Res Soc Policy 19, 85–90 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-020-00526-x
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-020-00526-x