Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jul 5;8(7):577.
doi: 10.3390/children8070577.

Sexual Activity in Adolescents and Young Adults through COVID-19 Pandemic

Androniki Stavridou  1 , Chrysa Samiakou  1 , Anastasia Kourti  1 , Stauroula Tsiorou  1 , Eleni Panagouli  1 , Athanasios Thirios  1 , Theodora Psaltopoulou  2 , Theodoros N Sergentanis  1   2 , Artemis Tsitsika  1
Affiliations

Sexual Activity in Adolescents and Young Adults through COVID-19 Pandemic

Androniki Stavridou et al. Children (Basel). .

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been postulated that the sexual life of adolescent and young adults has been impacted in various aspects, potentially affecting their well-being. Our aim is to investigate the potential changes in the sexual activity and relationships of adolescents and young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. In general, a decrease in sexual desire was reported during the COVID-19 pandemic, in both genders. Fewer sexual intercourses and bonding behaviors between partners were associated with loneliness and depressive symptoms. On the contrary, an increase in sexual desire was expressed in a few people, with masturbation to be the most preferable means of satisfaction. The present paper highlights the multifaceted impact of COVID-19 upon the sexual life of adolescents and young adults during the ongoing pandemic. The changes observed in their sexual activity and relationships, could provide the basis of future preventive and educational programs.

Keywords: COVID-19; adolescents; sexual health; young adults.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Rothe C., Schunk M., Sothmann P., Bretzel G., Froeschl G., Wallrauch C., Zimmer T., Thiel V., Janke C., Guggemos W., et al. Transmission of 2019-nCoV Infection from an Asymptomatic Contact in Germany. N. Engl. J. Med. 2020;382:970–971. doi: 10.1056/NEJMc2001468. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gagliano A., Villani P.G., Co’ F.M., Manelli A., Paglia S., Bisagni P.A.G., Perotti G., Storti E., Lombardo M. COVID-19 Epidemic in the Middle Province of Northern Italy: Impact, Logistics, and Strategy in the First Line Hospital. Disaster Med. Public Health Prep. 2020;14:372–376. doi: 10.1017/dmp.2020.51. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Adalja A.A., Toner E., Inglesby T.V. Priorities for the US Health Community Responding to COVID-19. JAMA. 2020;323:1343. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.3413. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Mmeje O.O., Coleman J.S., Chang T. Unintended Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Sexual and Reproductive Health of Youth. J. Adolesc. Health. 2020;67:326–327. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.06.019. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lindberg L.D., Bell D.L., Kantor L.M. The Sexual and Reproductive Health of Adolescents and Young Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Perspect. Sex. Reprod. Health. 2020;52:75–79. doi: 10.1363/psrh.12151. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources