Table 3.

Differences in sexual behaviors with casual partners before and during social-distancing period due to the COVID-19 pandemic (N = 1,012)

Sexual behaviors during social distancing	Before social distancing		During social distancing		P  ∗	OR (95% CI)
	N	%	N	%
Used drugs before or during sex	321	31.7	249	24.6	<.001	11.51 (8.3–16.0)
Used alcohol before or during sex	420	41.5	322	31.8	<.001	6.15 (4.6–8.2)
Kissing with the sexual partner	841	83.1	679	67.1	<.001	8.27 (5.7–12.0)
Having oral sex	869	85.8	822	81.2	<.001	13.06 (8.7–19.5)
Having anal sex	837	82.7	700	69.2	<.001	7.84 (5.5–11.2)
Used objects during sex (eg, dildo)	259	25.6	148	14.6	<.001	20.17 (12.9–31.3)
Been paid for sex	58	5.7	35	3.4	<.001	85.31 (36.9–196.8)
Paid for sex	65	6.4	36	3.6	<.001	171.78 (62.9–469.1)
Used condoms/PrEP	549	54.2	612	60.4	<.001	10.58 (7.9–14.2)
Where participants met casual sex partners
Online dating application (Grindr/Atraf dating)	849	83.9	694	68.5	<.001	4.59 (3.2–6.5)
Online social media (eg, Facebook)	207	20.5	124	12.3	<.001	10.90 (7.2–16.5)
Public places/street	77	7.6	25	2.4	<.001	26.99 (11.5–63.6)
Through friends	133	13.1	54	5.3	<.001	37.70 (18.8–75.7)
Gay bars and clubs	197	19.5	-†	-	-
	M	SD	M	SD	P	Cohen’s d
Frequency‡ of sex phone/webcam for sexual satisfaction	1.40	0.73	1.68	1.05	<.001	0.31
Frequency‡ of porn consumption	2.79	0.99	3.27	1.21	<.001	0.43
Sexual risk behavior score	1.47	0.89	1.14	0.85	<.001	0.38

CI = confidence interval for odds ratio; COVID-19 = coronavirus disease 2019; OR = odds ratio; PrEP, pre exposure prophylaxis.

^∗McNemar chi-squared test, paired-sample t-test.

^†Gay bars and clubs were closed by law during the social-distancing period.

^‡Scores ranged from never = 1 to Very often = 5.