An Emerging Risk Factor of Sexual Abuse Victimization: The Use of Smartphone Dating Applications

Dating applications (apps) of smartphones are popular nowadays. People are increasingly using dating apps to socialize and seek sexual partners. However, the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency reported there had been a significant increase in the number of reports to UK police forces about sexual assaults relating to the use of dating apps. The present study aimed to examine the association between the use of dating apps and sexual abuse victimization. College students in Hong Kong. It was a cross-section study. Subjects were recruited in four universities in Hong Kong. Sexual abuse victimization was measured by the revised Conflict Tactic Scale. Data on socio-demography, sexual history and the usage of dating app were also collected. Six hundred and sixty-six college students were included in the analysis. Overall, the one-year prevalence of sexual abuse victimization among college students was 12.4%. Multiple logistic regression found that users of dating apps had a higher likelihood of being sexually abused (adjusted odds ratio: 2.13, p-value <0.05). Besides, it was also found that older people (adjusted odds ratio: 1.24, p-value <0.05) and homosexual males (adjusted odds ratio: 4.74, p-value <0.01) were more likely to be sexually abused.