1Indian Institute of TechnologyHyderabad, India
2Indian Institute of TechnologyHyderabad, India
3University of the West of England, In Bristol, United Kingdom
4University of Manchester, United Kingdom
*Correspondence to: Prathyasha George, Department of Liberal Arts, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Kandi, Sangareddy, Telangana-502 285, India
Online published on 25 January, 2021.
India is witnessing a rapid increase in the use of dating apps such as Tinder, which provide heterosexual individuals with access to many potential sexual partners, thereby increasing their propensity to engage in risky sexual behaviours. Adopting a psychological perspective, this narrative review begins by drawing on existing literature on motivations and sexual behaviours relating to dating app use. Following this, the self-affirmation theory is posited to understand risky sexual behaviours within the context of dating app use. Finally, this review suggests promoting safe sex behaviours for Indian dating app users, self-affirmation interventions to promote body positivity and condom use, and disseminating health-promoting safe sex messages within the dating app.
Condom use, Dating applications, Health psychology, India, Self-affirmation, Sexual behaviours