A Quantitative Exploration of Geosocial Dating Application Use, Belongingness, and Depressive Symptomatology in Young Adult Gay and Bisexual Men

This exploratory cross-sectional study examined the associations between geosocial dating application (GDA) use, belongingness, and depressive symptomatology in a sample of gay and bisexual men. Eighty-four gay and bisexual men were included in the analysis. Participants responded to the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the general belongingness scale (GBS), and a measure of the frequency of GDA use per day. Findings revealed that the frequency of GDA use per day was not significantly associated with levels of depressive symptomatology. Yet, a significant and positive association was found between the frequency of GDA use and levels of belongingness. The results also revealed that being a Black or Hispanic/Latinx gay or bisexual man was associated with increased levels of depressive symptomatology and lower levels of belongingness. This study provides important theoretical and practical findings regarding the psychosocial outcomes for gay and bisexual men that use GDAs and maintains that GDAs are a nuanced social tool. The findings are then contextualized to provide implications for social work practitioners and future research