Exploring the interplay between tinder use, general self-esteem, and sexual self-esteem among European emerging adults.

Jalisse Schmid, Marco Lauriola, Christina Stadler, Eva Unternaehrer

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Article in BMC psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

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4 authors.

Jalisse SchmidChild- and Adolescent Psychiatric Research Department, University Psychiatric Clinics Basel (UPK), Basel, Switzerland. jalisse.schmid@unibas.ch.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0008-4858-3125

Marco LauriolaDepartment of Developmental and Socialization Processes, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3996-9567

Christina StadlerChild- and Adolescent Psychiatric Research Department, University Psychiatric Clinics Basel (UPK), Basel, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2178-0635

Eva UnternaehrerChild- and Adolescent Psychiatric Research Department, University Psychiatric Clinics Basel (UPK), Basel, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3507-1883

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe 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.

methodsA total of 2,283 participants (M

resultsTinder 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.

conclusionsTinder 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.

Indexed as

Self ConceptSexual BehaviorAdultFemaleHumansItalyMaleSurveys and QuestionnairesSwitzerlandYoung AdultGeneral self-esteemOnline datingSexual self-esteemTinder

Identifiers

PMID42057104

DOI10.1186/s40359-026-04599-y

PMCPMC13330100

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LicenceCC BY

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.