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Exploring the interplay between tinder use, general self-esteem, and sexual self-esteem among European emerging
Jalisse Schmid1,2, Marco Lauriola3, Christina Stadler4
1Child- and Adolescent Psychiatric Research Department, University Psychiatric Clinics Basel (UPK), Basel, Switzerland. jalisse.schmid@unibas.ch.
Background:
The use of online dating apps such as Tinder has become widespread among emerging adults. However, findings regarding the impact of Tinder use on users' self-esteem are mixed, and it remains unclear whether associations differ across general and sexual self-esteem domains. The present study examined whether Tinder use and its frequency were associated with general and sexual self-esteem in a large sample of emerging adults from Switzerland and Italy.
Methods:
A total of 2,283 participants (Mage = 23.9 ± 3.0, 76.3% female, 60.3% Italian) completed an anonymous online survey assessing Tinder use (former/current or never), frequency of use, and standardised measures of general self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale) and sexual self-esteem (Sexuality Scale). We conducted four multiple linear regression analyses to test whether Tinder use or Tinder use frequency among users predicted general and sexual self-esteem, while controlling for sex, age, socioeconomic status, education, relationship status, and nationality.
Results:
Tinder use was common (64.7% former or current users), and Tinder users reported slightly lower general self-esteem than non-users (p = .044), whereas use frequency showed no association with self-esteem. In contrast, Tinder use was positively associated with sexual self-esteem (p < .001), whereas use frequency showed no significant association among users.
Conclusions:
Tinder use was associated with lower general self-esteem and higher sexual self-esteem, whereas frequency of use among users showed no association in either domain. These findings highlight distinct and divergent pathways between online dating behaviour and self-perceptions, underscoring the importance of considering both general and sexual self-esteem when examining the psychological correlates of dating app use.
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