# A daily diary study examining prospective associations between minutes of daily dating app use, affect, and HIV risk among young sexual minority men

> **NIH NIH F31** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2023 · $41,949

## Abstract

Project Summary
Young men who have sex with men (YMSM) between the ages of 18-29 are disproportionately affected by
HIV, STIs, and poor mental health. The use of dating apps to find sexual or romantic partners among YMSM is
nearly ubiquitous and has been associated with HIV and STI risk behaviors (e.g., condomless anal sex; CAS),
though research on this association has been mixed. Recently, cross-sectional research and anecdotes from
mental health providers have suggested that dating app use may be associated with poorer mental health and
self-esteem among YMSM. Poorer mental health, in turn, has been linked to CAS and other HIV risk behaviors
in this population. A small number of daily diary studies have linked nonclinical affective states (e.g., anxiety,
negative arousal) with engagement in CAS. Results of these studies are mixed, though all suggest some
prospective association between affect and HIV risk. However, none of these daily diary studies examined HIV
risk in the context of dating app use because they collected data before dating apps became widespread.
Thus, it may be that affective consequences of dating app use constitute an understudied mechanistic link
between dating app use and engagement in HIV risk behavior. Given that no research to date has examined
associations between dating app use and affect among YMSM longitudinally, the proposed daily diary study’s
first aim is to examine prospective associations between daily dating app use and affective states among
YMSM. Its second aim is to test the mediating effect of negative affect on the association between dating app
use and CAS. Additionally, none of the aforementioned daily diary studies examined the effect of pre-exposure
prophylaxis (PrEP; a medication that is nearly perfect at preventing HIV seroconversion when taken as
directed) use on the link between affect and CAS because data were collected prior to the advent of PrEP.
This constitutes a major gap in our understanding of HIV risk among YMSM because PrEP has been shown to
affect their sexual risk appraisal and emotional associations with sexual partnering. Thus, to complement the
Specific Aims described above, I will conduct exploratory analyses (e.g., sensitivity and moderation analyses)
to better understand the impact of PrEP use on dating app use, negative affect, and sexual behavior among
YMSM. The proposed study will allow me to build upon my training in qualitative and basic statistical methods
by providing training in intensive longitudinal data analysis (i.e., multilevel modeling, mediation analyses, and
moderation analyses). It will also afford me the opportunity to build upon my skills in recruitment, retention, and
related longitudinal methods. Specifically, I will use resources and infrastructure available to me at
Northwestern University and the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing to recruit a
nationwide sample of YMSM that is diverse in terms of urban/rural locality and racial/e...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10762708
- **Project number:** 1F31MH132506-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Kyle Jozsa
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $41,949
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2023-08-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10762708

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10762708, A daily diary study examining prospective associations between minutes of daily dating app use, affect, and HIV risk among young sexual minority men (1F31MH132506-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10762708. Licensed CC0.

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