Understanding sexualized drug use: substances, reasons, consequences, and self-perceptions among men who have sex with other men in Spain
Entity
UAM. Departamento de Psicología Biológica y de la SaludPublisher
MDPIDate
2023-02-03Citation
10.3390/ijerph20032751
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 20.3 (2023): 2751
ISSN
1661-7827DOI
10.3390/ijerph20032751Funded by
This research was funded by the Ministerio de Sanidad, Consumo y Bienestar Social (Spanish Government) through the program “National Plan on Drugs” in the call for grants for the development of research on addictions, grant number 2020I060Project
Gobierno de España. 2020I060Editor's Version
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032751Subjects
chemsex; men who have sex with men; motives; public health; sexual minorities; sexualized drug use; PsicologíaRights
© 2023 by the authorsAbstract
Sexualized drug use (SDU) has been identified as a health risk factor among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM). This study aimed to analyze the associations between SDU frequency and a broad set of substances, motives, consequences, and self-perceptions. Sampling was conducted through an online survey. The final sample consisted of 185 GBMSM aged between 18 and 78 years old (mean age = 38.38, SD = 11.52) who engaged in SDU. We analyzed the frequency of SDU in terms of practicing it “once,” “moderately” (“once a month or less” or “a few times a month”), or “frequently” (from “once a week” to “daily”) during the previous 18 months. A questionnaire was administered through which sociodemographic variables, substances, reasons, consequences, and self-perceptions of SDU practice were analyzed. Participants who did so frequently were significantly more likely to use mephedrone, methamphetamine, and GHB/GBL than those who performed SDU less often (large effect sizes). In addition, habitual SDU was associated with motivations to achieve pleasurable emotions and sensations and manage negative feelings. Health implications, such as blackout moments, were also significantly related to frequent SDUs. Finally, those who practiced frequent SDU perceived it as a severe problem and wanted to control it. These data indicate the importance of raising awareness of chemsex as a public health problem among GBMSM. Specific identification, education, and prevention programs need to be strengthened to reduce the incidence of the most undesirable implications of SDU among GBMSM
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Google Scholar:Íncera-Fernández, Daniel
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Román González, Francisco Javier
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Moreno-Guillén, Santiago
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Gámez Guadix, Manuel
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