University Students’ Condom Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-Cultural Differences and What Predict Them

Dacosta, Liam and Morandini, James S. and Pinkus, Rebecca T. and De Caluwé, Elien and Chan, Lik Sam and Lo, Olivine and Thongnopakun, Saowanee and Visanuyothin, Sawitree and Harasymchuk, Cheryl and Joel, Samantha and Dale, Victoria and Rodrigues, David L. and Takács, Judit and Sipos, Alexandra and Lamarche, Veronica M. and Čepukienė, Viktorija and Bernarte, Racidon and Jakšić, Ivana M. and Bodroža, Bojana and Mai, Huỳnh Hồng and Hong, Tran Thi and Akello, Grace and Hromatko, Ivana and Ganesan, Asha and Harton, Helen C. and McCoy, Alyssa and Zhang, Jiawei and Murray, Damian and Moran, James and Barrada, Juan Ramón and Castro, Ángel and Navarro-Roldan, Claudia and Su, Kuan-Pin and Chang, Jane and Ruby, Matthew B. and Ziadlou, Donya and Nakamine, Shin and Watanabe, Yutaka and Gyanmudra, and Lee, Albert and Chia, Richelle-Joy and Dar-Nimrod, Ilan (2025) University Students’ Condom Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-Cultural Differences and What Predict Them. JOURNAL OF CROSS-CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY. pp. 1-21. ISSN 0022-0221 (In Press)

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Abstract

Humans instinctively adopt methods to reduce their risk of encountering harmful pathogens, yet their adherence to preventive health practices can often be erratic. Condoms exemplify one vital preventive tool against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) that, despite their effectiveness, are not consistently utilized. This pattern of behavior appears to persist even during periods of widespread disease transmission, with varied data from the COVID-19 pandemic indicating that condom usage remained inconsistent. The present study aimed to clarify these inconsistencies by examining changes in condom use cross-culturally. Heterosexual participants who were sexually active ( N = 3,972 [1,327 men, 2,645 women], M age = 22.82) across 18 countries were asked about their condom use prior to the pandemic, then about their current use. Results revealed a significant decline in Australia, Canada, Portugal, Vietnam, Uganda, and Taiwan. Vaccination percentage and lockdown stringency were associated with this decline cross-culturally. These findings continue to add concerns about the spread of STIs among young people during the pandemic.

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