Partnership status, living arrangements, and changes in sexual behaviour and satisfaction during the COVID-19 lockdown: insights from an observational, cross-sectional online survey in Singapore
Rayner Kay Jin Tan
A D E * , Caitlin Alsandria O’Hara B and Navin Kumar C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
B Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
C Human Nature Lab, Department of Sociology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
D Present address: University of North Carolina Project-China, Guangzhou, China, No. 2 Lujing Road, Guangzhou, 510085, China.
E Present address: Dermatology Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Sexual Health 18(5) 366-377 https://doi.org/10.1071/SH21077
Submitted: 12 April 2021 Accepted: 18 July 2021 Published: 8 November 2021
© 2021 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY)
Abstract
Background: The SARS-CoV-2 (coronavirus disease 2019; COVID-19) pandemic and its concomitant movement control measures have had a profound impact on the world. In spite of its potential impact on sexual health, there is a lack of research on how the pandemic and its movement control measures have impacted sexual wellbeing among Singaporeans.
Methods: This observational, cross-sectional study was conducted from August to September 2020. Participants were recruited through an online survey instrument promoted through social media. Respondents self-reported their sexual behaviours and levels of sexual satisfaction prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic movement control measures.
Results: We recruited a total of 562 participants, of whom 338 (60.1%) ever had a sexual experience. Singles (n = 106, 31.4%) and those not living with their partners (n = 115, 34.0%) reported a greater decrease in partnered sexual activities but a greater increase in individual sexual activities such as masturbation, sending and receiving nudes and watching pornography, relative to those who were living with their partners (n = 117, 34.6%). Multivariable analyses indicated that relative to singles, those who were not living with their partners were more likely to experience a decrease in sexual satisfaction (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] = 1.42, 95% CI [1.07, 1.90]), whereas those who were living with their partners were less likely to experience a decrease in sexual satisfaction (aPR = 0.45, 95% CI [0.25, 0.81]).
Conclusions: Interventions may focus on enhancing sexual wellness by educating on and supporting individual or partnered sexual activities that may vary along the lines of partnership status and living arrangements during the implementation of movement control measures.
Keywords: Asia, behaviour, COVID-19, sexual behaviours, sexual health, sexual practices, Singapore, surveillance.
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