Table 1 (continued)
Study [year] Aims Sample [design/method] Instruments Main results
and risky situations
encountered by online daters
[Qualitative: in-depth interview study
via online chat platform]
in terms of the risky ‘other’ moving the ownership
of risks away from themselves
Erjavec and
Fišer
[2016]
Examined involvement of older
adults in online dating: How
older adults who lived the
majority of their lives under
socialism perceived online
dating
*38 retired adults; 19 women; 63 to
77 years old; all participants were
Slovenian, heterosexual, middle
class and urban
[Qualitative: semi-structured in-depth
interview study]
N/A Participants used economic metaphors and related them
with extremely positive expressions of recovery;
they have internalised the principles of the market
economy and perceived their re-entry into the rela-
tionship market as their revival
Goedel and
Duncan
[2016]
Examined associations between
contexts of app use (e.g. using
apps when drinking) and
condomless anal intercourse
among a sample of MSM who
use these apps
174 male users of Grindr app;
M = 30.8 years old, SD = 9.5;
94.2% gay/bisexual
[Quantitative: cross-sectional study
with self-reported data via online
survey]
Survey: app use, contextual
factor and transactional sexual
encounters, HIV status and
sexual behaviours
Engagement in condomless receptive and insertive anal
intercourse with one or more partners in the
preceding 3 months was common (39.7% and
43.1%, respectively) and was associated with
several app-use contexts; associations between al-
cohol and other drug use when using these apps and
condomless receptive and insertive anal intercourse
[2008] Find out the extent to which
internet users subscribe to
online dating services and
assess users’ experiences of
such services and their
eventual outcomes
*3844 respondents; 67% women;
16–24s (11%), 25–34s (31%),
35–44s (27%), 45–54s (20%) and
55+ (11%)
[Quantitative: descriptive with
self-reported data via online survey]
Survey: motivations of use and
satisfaction with the service
29% said they had used an online dating site. Most of
these respondents (90%) had spent up to £200 on
internet dating in the past 2 years, with 70% of users
achieving at least one date, 43% enjoying at least
one sexual relationship and 9% finding a marriage
partner
Hall et al.
[2010]
Examined factors like gender,
self-monitoring, the Big Five
personality traits and
demographic characteristics,
that influence online dating
service users’ strategic
misrepresentation (the
conscious and intentional
misrepresentation of personal
characteristics)
5020 participants; 74% female;
average age of 39.8 years old, SD =
11.4; primarily White, non-Hispanic
(83.2%), with 4.1% Hispanic, 5.3%
African-American, 3.5%
Asian-American and 3.6% other
[Quantitative: cross-sectional with
self-reported data via online survey]
Survey items: personal assets,
relationship goals, personal
interests, personal attributes,
past relationships; 25-item
Revised Self-monitoring
Scale; 44-item Big Five In-
ventory
Men were more likely to misrepresent personal assets,
relationship goals, personal interests and personal
attributes, whereas women were more likely to
misrepresent weight; self-monitoring was the stron-
gest and most consistent predictor of misrepresen-
tation in online dating. Agreeableness,
conscientiousness and openness also showed con-
sistent relationships with misrepresentation
Hance et al.
[2018]
Study 1: 640 participants (67%
female), 18–65 years of age
16-item Rejection Sensitivity
Questionnaire (RSQ); Real
True self mediated the relationship between rejection
sensitivity and online dating site usage;
2253International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction (2021) 19:2245–2278
Table 1 (continued)
Study [year] Aims Sample [design/method] Instruments Main results
Explained the relationship
between rejection sensitivity
and online dating site usage
(M = 23.59). Study 2: 326 partici-
pants (206 female), 18–59 years of
age (M = 24.15, SD = 7.61)
[Quantitative: cross-sectional study
with self-reported data]
Me Scale; Online Dating In-
ventory (ODI) Study 2 only:
Revised Self-Disclosure Scale
rejection-sensitive individuals felt they can more
easily represent their ‘true’ selves in online
environments, such as online dating sites, which
partially explains why they were more likely to
engage in online dating
Heijman et al.
[2016]
Examined the association
between unprotected anal
intercourse (UAI) with part-
ners dated online and with
partners dated offline; exam-
ined whether differences can
be explained by self-perceived
HIV status of the index and
knowledge of partnership
characteristics
*3050 men who have sex with men
(MSM); median age was 37; most
participants (73.8 %) were Dutch
[Quantitative: cross-sectional study
with self-reported data via ques-
tionnaires]
Questionnaire:
socio-demographics and HIV
status, the three most recent
partners in the preceding
6 months and sexual behav-
iour with those partners
Online dating was not significantly associated with
UAI among HIV-negative users. HIV-positive par-
ticipants were more likely to practise UAI with
partners dated online; after correction for partner and
partnership characteristics, online partnership ac-
quisition was not associated with a significantly
increased risk of UAI
Heino et al.
[2010]
Explored the ways in which the
marketplace metaphor
resonates with online dating
participants and how this
conceptual framework
influences how they assess
themselves, others and make
decisions about whom to
pursue
34 participants from a large online
dating site; 25 to 70 years old
(M = 42, SD = 9.35); 50% female;
(76%) resided in urban Los Angeles
[Qualitative: semi-structured in-depth
interview study via telephone]
N/A Marketplace metaphor was salient for participants, who
employed several strategies that reflected the
assumptions underlying the marketplace perspective
(including resisting the metaphor); implications of
this metaphor for romantic relationship
development, such as the objectification of potential
partners
Hospers et al.
[2005]
Described the process of internet
chatting, and subsequent
dating and sexual (risk) be-
haviour among Dutch men
who have sex with men
(MSM), and to compare the
demographic profile of the in-
ternet sample with a tradition-
al Dutch MSM sample
4984 users of an online platform;
(M = 33.2 years, SD = 10.05); most
respondents (81%) reported a Dutch
cultural background; 44% had ever
been tested for HIV. Among tested
men, 6% reported being
HIV-positive
[Quantitative: cross-sectional study
with self-reported data via online
Questionnaire: demographics,
chatting and dating behaviour,
sexual behaviour, sexual
behaviour with last e-date
Especially among HIV-positive men, a high percentage
of unprotected anal sex was reported (39%). After
correcting for the disclosure of HIV status, this
percentage remained twice as high compared with
HIV-negative and never tested men (28% versus
14%). Compared with a traditional MSM sample,
the internet sample was significantly younger and
comprised more non-Dutch and bisexual men,
2254 International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction (2021) 19:2245–2278
Table 1 (continued)
Study [year] Aims Sample [design/method] Instruments Main results
questionnaire through the online
dating site]
whereas the level of sexual risk behaviour with
casual partners was comparable
Houran and
Lange
[2004]
Examined whether individuals
with intentions to use online
matchmaking services had
unrealistically optimistic
expectations of finding a
perfectly compatible partner
222 participants of non-married status;
109 men; 24–50 years old (Mage =
37.39, SD = 6.88); 9 Asian, 15
African-American, 182 Caucasian
and 16 Other
[Quantitative: correlational study with
self-reported data]
Items: probability estimates,
conditional probabilities and
attitude
Individuals with intentions to use online dating are not
motivated by positive distortions or unrealistic
optimism as measured by attitudinal indicators
Hwang [2013] Examined dating preferences
using a multiracial
randomised sample of online
daters
*2123 profiles (523 Asians, 504
Blacks, 473 Latinos and 632 White;
1074 females; age ranges from 18 to
69 years)
[Quantitative: cross-sectional study]
Measures from profiles:
demographics and willingness
to date a different/same racial
group(s)
Results indicated that willingness to date intra-racially
was generally high and that willingness to date
inter-racially was lower and influenced by racial
social status
Jung et al.
[2019]
Explored the changes in user
behaviour induced by
adoption of a mobile
application, in terms of
engagement and matching
outcomes in the online dating
context
100.000 users of one online platform;
female mean age 36.10, SD =
12.61; male mean age 33.22, SD =
11.49; mostly White
[Quantitative: longitudinal study with
real users’ data]
N/A Mobile app adoption induces users to become more
socially engaged as measured by: visiting
significantly more profiles, sending significantly
more messages, and importantly, achieving more
matches; men act more impulsively than women;
both men and women exhibit disinhibition, in that
users initiate actions to a more diverse set of
potential partners
Kim et al.
[2009]
Explored the three major
consumer characteristics that
underlie the use of internet
dating services: self-esteem,
involvement in romantic
relationships and sociability
*3345 responses received; (47.5 %)
were from men. Ages ranged from
19 to 89
[Quantitative: cross-sectional study
with secondary data]
Items: self-esteem, involvement
in romantic relations,
sociability and use of online
dating services
Among sociable people, individuals with high
self-esteem were more likely to use internet dating
services when they were highly involved in roman-
tic relationships; individuals with low self-esteem
used internet dating services more often than did
those with high self-esteem when romantic rela-
tionships were not important
Kok et al.
[2007]
Investigated social-cognitive de-
terminants of HIV-risk pre-
cautionary intentions among
men who have sex with men,
*1375 men who have sex with men
from an online dating site
[Quantitative: cross-sectional study
with data from online survey]
Items: demographics, attitude,
subjective/descriptive/-
personal norm, perceives
behavioural control,
Attitude, subjective norms and perceived control
explained 55% of the variance in intention to use
condoms for anal sex with future e-dates; adding
2255International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction (2021) 19:2245–2278
Table 1 (continued)
Study [year] Aims Sample [design/method] Instruments Main results
who meet sex partners on the
internet
anticipated regret and
intention
descriptive norms, personal norm and anticipated
regret explained 70%
Lawson and
Leck
[2006]
Examined the world of internet
dating. It explored the
motivations of daters, their
styles of courtship and how
they negotiated problems of
trust and deception
*50 respondents; 25 female; 32.6 mean
age male; 33 mean age female
[Qualitative: open-ended informal in-
terviews]
N/A Internet daters sought companionship, comfort after a
life crisis, control over presentation of themselves
and their environments, freedom from commitment
and stereotypic roles, adventure and romantic
fantasy
March et al.
[2017]
Explore the antisocial behaviour
of trolling on Location-Based
Real-Time Dating applica-
tions
357 adults; 71% women; 18–60 years
of age (Mage = 22.50, SD = 6.55);
majority heterosexual orientation
(81%), bisexual orientation (10%),
homosexual orientation (6%) and
other orientation (3%)
[Quantitative: cross-sectional study
with self-reported measurement in-
struments]
Short Dark Triad Scale; Short
Sadistic Impulse Scale;
Dickman Impulsivity
Inventory; Modified version
of Global Assessment of
Internet Trolling (GAIT)
The traits of psychopathy, sadism and dysfunctional
impulsivity were significantly associated with
trolling behaviours. Subsequent moderation analysis
revealed that dysfunctional impulsivity predicted
perpetration of trolling, but only if the individual had
medium or high levels of trait psychopathy
Menkin et al.
[2015]
Identified prioritised goals in
new romantic relationships
and whether importance of
these goals differ by
participants’ age and gender
*5434 users; 50% female; 20 to
95 years old; 86% non-Hispanic
White
[Quantitative: cross-sectional study
with self-reported online question-
naire]
Questionnaire: relationship goals,
individual differences (e.g.
personal interests) and
demographics
Users valued interpersonal communication more than
sex appeal. Older users rated sexual attraction as
slightly less important than younger users, but they
still highly valued the goal. Women placed even
greater emphasis on communication over sexual
attraction; men valued sexual attraction more than
women at all ages; only the youngest women valued
communication more than young men
Orosz et al.
[2018]
Investigated the motivational,
personality and basic
psychological need-related
background of problematic
Tinder use
1055 total participants
Study 1: 414 Hungarian participants
(female = 246; 59.4%) between 18
and 43 years old (M = 22.71, SD =
3.56)
Study 2: 346 (female = 165, 47.7%)
aged 18 and 51
Study 1: focus group towards
forming items for the
development of the scale
Study 2: Tinder Use Motivation
Scale (TUMS); Problematic
Tinder Use Scale (PTUS); Big
Five Inventory
(BFI)—Hungarian version
Study 1: 16-item first-order factor structure was iden-
tified with four motivational factors, such as sex,
love, self-esteem enhancement and boredom
Study 2: problematic Tinder use was mainly related to
using Tinder for self-esteem enhancement. The Big
Five personality factors were only weakly related to
the four motivations and to problematic Tinder use
2256 International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction (2021) 19:2245–2278
Table 1 (continued)
Study [year] Aims Sample [design/method] Instruments Main results
Study 3: 298 (female = 177; 59.4%)
aged between 19 and 65 (M= 22.02,
SD = 3.41)
[Quantitative: cross-sectional study
with self-reported measurement in-
struments; including a validation
procedure of a measurement scale]
Study 3: Tinder Use Motivational
Scale (TUMS); Problematic
Tinder Use Scale (PTUS);
Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale
(RSES); Basic Psychological
Need Satisfaction and Need
Frustration Scale (BPNSFS)
Study 3: instead of global self-esteem, relatedness need
frustration was the strongest predictor of self-esteem
enhancement as Tinder-use motivation which, in
turn, was the strongest predictor of problematic
Tinder use
Orosz et al.
[2016]
Created a short Problematic
Tinder Use Scale (PTUS)
430 Hungarian respondents
(female = 243; 56.5%) aged
between 18 and 51 (Mage = 22.53,
SD = 3.74); Majority lives in the
capital
[Quantitative: development of a
measurement scale]
Problematic Tinder Use Scale
(PTUS) built upon the
six-component concept of
Griffiths (2005)
The 6-item unidimensional structure has appropriate
reliability and factor structure. No salient
demography-related differences were found. Users
irrespective of their relationship status have similar
scores on PTUS
Paul [2014] Examined differences in the
outcomes of relationships that
begin online compared to
traditional offline venues
including non-marital rela-
tionships in the comparison
4,002 adult respondents; Mean age
online venue: 46.79, SD = 15.75;
Mean age offline venue: 38.85, SD
= 11.61
[Quantitative: with secondary data
from waves I, II and III of the
nationally representative
longitudinal survey]
N/A Couples who met their partners online were more likely
to be involved in dating and romantic relationships
than marital relationships compared to couples who
met offline; breakup rates for both marital and
non-marital romantic relationships were found to be
higher for couples who met online
Peter and
Valkenburg
[2007]
Researched the individuals’
motivations to date casually
through online sites
*657 final respondents; mean age
39.26; women 51%
[Quantitative: cross-sectional study
with self-reported data via online
survey]
Items: demographics, dating
anxiety, physical self-esteem,
sensation-seeking, sexual
permissiveness, reduced
visual cues, anonymity,
controllability and control
variables
Sexually permissive people and high sensation-seekers
looked for casual partners online more frequently
than sexually restrictive people and low sensation--
seekers. Dating anxiety and physical self-esteem, in
contrast, were unrelated to the seeking of casual
partners online
Sánchez et al.
2015
Analysed the quality of
cyberdating among
adolescents by means of a
mixed study
Study 1: 16 adolescents; 8 boys;
14–17 years old
Study 1: focus group to develop
items for the development of
the scale
Structure of six factors, namely online intimacy,
emotional communication strategies, cyberdating
practices, online control, online jealousy and online
intrusive behaviour. Descriptive analysis showed
2257International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction (2021) 19:2245–2278
Table 1 (continued)
Study [year] Aims Sample [design/method] Instruments Main results
Study 2: 626 respondents; 12–21 years
old, mean age 15.13, SD = 1.34;
51.4% males
[Study 1: qualitative, focus groups with
semi-structured ad hoc interview;
study 2: quantitative, development
of a measurement scale]
Study 2: the Cyberdating Q_A
scale
that these behaviours were very frequent among
adolescents, with boys scoring higher on intrusive
behaviour and cyberdating practices than girls
Solis and
Wong
[2019]
Investigated the motivations and
risks involved in the use of
mobile dating applications
(MDAs) to meet strangers and
the outcomes of using this
technology
*433 users; 57.5% were males; 11 to
58 years old, mean age 30
[Quantitative: cross-sectional study
with self-reported data via online
survey]
Items based in the motivation
categories from previous
Tinder studies: demographics
and use of dating sites
Sexuality was the only predictor for the use of MDAs
to meet people offline for dates and casual sex; fear
of self-exposure to friends, professional networks
and the community, among the perceived risks of
dating online
Stinson and
Jeske
[2016]
Examined the influence of
personality (introversion and
extraversion) and personal
variables (social anxiety and
public self-consciousness) on
online dating preferences from
two competing perspectives:
the ‘social compensation’
(SC) hypothesis and the
‘rich-get-richer’ (RGR) hy-
pothesis
162 participants; 18 to 64 years of age,
M = 27.43, SD = 12.58; 43 males;
half were students. The other half
were professionals
[Quantitative: cross-sectional study
with self-reported data via online
survey]
International Personality Item
Pool (IPIP); Social Anxiety
subscale; public
self-consciousness; dating
preference based in existing
surveys; items on use and de-
mographics
Stronger role of social influence in the decision to date
online. which may make personality and personal
traits less informative of whether individuals will opt
to use such services
Sumter and
Vandenbo-
sch [2019]
Investigated how dating app use
and motivations are related to
demographic identity
variables (i.e. gender and
sexual orientation) and
personality-based variables
among young adults
541 respondents; 18 and 30 years of
age, M = 23.71, SD = 3.29; 60.1%
women: majority of Dutch 92.4%
[Quantitative: cross-sectional study
with self-reported data via online
survey]
Dating App Motivation Scale
(DAMS); Dating Anxiety
Scale; Brief Sensation Seek-
ing Scale; Sexual Permissive-
ness Scale; dating app user
status
Non-users were more likely to be heterosexual, high in
dating anxiety and low in sexual permissiveness
than dating app users. Among app users, dating goal
motivations were meaningfully related to identity
features: sexual permissiveness was related to the
casual sex motive
Investigated the demographic
predictors of online dating and
Demographics; 5 items from the
active-intentions-for-dating
Online dating was unrelated to income and educational
level. Respondents between 30 and 50 years old
2258 International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction (2021) 19:2245–2278
Table 1 (continued)
Study [year] Aims Sample [design/method] Instruments Main results
Valkenburg
and Peter
[2007]
the validity of the social
compensation and the
rich-get-richer hypotheses in
relation to users’ use of online
dating
367 Dutch adult singles; 18 to 60 years
old, mean age 38 years, SD = 12.7;
50% males
[Quantitative: cross-sectional study
with self-reported data via online
survey]
subscale of the dating anxiety
survey; visit of dating sites
were the most active online daters. In support of the
rich-get-richer hypothesis, people low in dating
anxiety were more active online daters than people
high in dating anxiety
Vandeweerd
et al.
[2016]
Understand the positives and
negatives of online dating
according to the lived
experience of older women
*45 women aged 50+, mean age 57.3;
13% African-American/Black, 7%
Hispanic/Latina, 78% were White
and 2% as ‘other’
[Qualitative: semi-structured inter-
views via telephone]
N/A Benefits of online dating: expand one’s social network
for both friendships and romantic partners, the
ability to control dating risks and pace of
relationship formation and knowing more about
one’s partner; identified risks: pervasive lying,
attempted financial exploitation and unwanted
electronic sexual aggression
Whitfield
et al.
[2017]
Examined whether the manner in
which gay, bisexual and other
MSM find sexual partners
predicts an increase in
likelihood of engaging in CAS
(condomless anal sex) in an
urban, non-coastal U.S. city
545 men; average age of 36.81 years,
SD = 12.37; 54% White, 20%
Hispanic/Latino, 10%
Black/African-American, 8.3%
multiracial, 2.4% American
Indian/Alaskan Native, 2% Asian
and 0.2% Native Hawaiian/Pacific
Islander
[Quantitative: cross-sectional study
with secondary data from Denver
NHBS]
Behavioural survey: sexual
behaviour, substance use, STI
history and HIV testing
Age and race are associated with the mode of finding
sexual partners. Using the internet or a mobile app to
find sexual partners was not predictive of CAS
Zlot et al.
[2018]
Investigated the contribution of
social anxiety and
sensation-seeking to ratings of
sex addiction among those
who use online dating sites
279 participants; 128 males; mean age
25 years, SD = 2.75, age range of
18–38 years
[Quantitative: cross-sectional study
with self-reported data via online
questionnaires]
Demographics; Liebowitz Social
Anxiety Scale; Sensation
Seeking Scale; Sexual
Addiction Screening Test
(SAST)
Dating app users showed higher scores on sexual
addiction than non-users. Lower sex addiction
scores correlated with social anxiety scores. There
was no difference in sensation-seeking between
participants with low and high scores of sexual
addiction; social anxiety was a major factor affecting
the use of internet-dating applic/// may you summarize the results for me please , the researcher , method and results