key: cord-0939786-hjlss0ra
authors: Krau, Stephen D.
title: Foreword: Sexually Transmitted Diseases in the Midst of the Coronavirus Pandemic
date: 2020-06-13
journal: Nurs Clin North Am
DOI: 10.1016/j.cnur.2020.06.010
sha: 43d2962bd9571c730f67b16d06bdefa2ccb1062e
doc_id: 939786
cord_uid: hjlss0ra

nan

This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. The purpose of the study was to explore changes in people's sexual behavior and to "explore the context in which they exist." 1 A convenience sample of 270 men and 189 women completed a survey related to sexual activities during the pandemic. All subjects were living in Han, China and were Chinese.

While there was a wide range of variation in the results, the study identified that 44% of the participants reported a decrease in the number of sexual partners while 37% reported a decrease in sexual frequency. 1 Additionally, results indicated that those persons who had previously engaged in higher risk sexual behaviors, had a rapid decline in those behaviors. The study indicated that 25% of the participants experienced a decrease in sexual desire while 18% of men and 8%

of women experienced an increase in sexual desire.

To date, this is the only study related to coronavirus and sexual activity and sexual desire. The imitations of the study are obvious with a small sample, self-report data, and lack of generalizability on many levels including geographical limitations. As we focus on the COVID19 crisis, it seems other infectious diseases, unless they are underlying issues for COVID patients, are not a central focus.

With the mitigation protocol of "social distancing" the implications for contagion of many infectious diseases would seem likely. It will be of interest in the future to compile data on the prevalence and incidence of new sexually transmitted diseases worldwide when the coronavirus pandemic is under better control. It will also be important to know to what extent, if any, sexually transmitted diseases contributed to longer hospital stays and mortality among COVID-19 patients, as well as patients with non-sexually transmitted diseases.

Changes in sexual behaviors of young women and men during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak: a convenience sample from the epidemic area

E-mail address:sdkrau@outlook