Factors Associated with Cessation or Reduction of Methamphetamine Use among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men (gbMSM) in Vancouver Canada

Cheng, Brooke; Sang, Jordan M; Cui, Zishan; Bacani, Nicanor; Armstrong, Heather; Zhu, Julia; Elefante, Julius; Olarewaju, Gbolahan; Card, Kiffer G.; Blackwell, Everett; Lachowsky, Nathan J.; Hogg, Robert S.; Roth, Eric Abella; Moore, David

doi:10.1080/10826084.2020.1756854

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Compared to more frequent users, those using less regularly are more likely to engage in safer sex (eg, use condoms), whereas frequent users are more likely to practice unsafe sex, thus increasing HIV and HCV transmission risks 24 . Further, methamphetamine use is prominent in men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) communities, where it is associated with engaging in unsafe sex, injection drug use with needle sharing, sex work, more sexual partners, and lower adherence to antiretroviral therapies 25 . Additionally, methamphetamine is used as a means to negate feelings of internalized discrimination and stigmatization amongst the MSM community in Vancouver, BC 25 .…”

Section: Harms In Canadamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, methamphetamine use is prominent in men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) communities, where it is associated with engaging in unsafe sex, injection drug use with needle sharing, sex work, more sexual partners, and lower adherence to antiretroviral therapies 25 . Additionally, methamphetamine is used as a means to negate feelings of internalized discrimination and stigmatization amongst the MSM community in Vancouver, BC 25 . These actions perpetuate use of methamphetamine and the more participants use the less likely they are to decrease use 25 …”

Section: Harms In Canadamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…25 Additionally, methamphetamine is used as a means to negate feelings of internalized discrimination and stigmatization amongst the MSM community in Vancouver, BC. 25 These actions perpetuate use of methamphetamine and the more participants use the less likely they are to decrease use. 25 Another population of interest for psychostimulant use is secondary and post-secondary students.…”

Section: Populations Involved In Psychostimulant Use/ Harmsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Current State of Psychostimulants Use and Harms in Canada

O’Keefe-Markman

Vojtila

Fischer

2022

Canadian Journal of Addiction

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Psychostimulant use in Canada-similar to recent data trends from the United States-has been showing signs of increase over the past decade, while with patterns of use varying across the country. Changes in drug use preferences from opioids to psychostimulants have been noted in several provinces, for example, Alberta. Similarly, reports from British Columbia highlight a shift from opioids to psychostimulants with methamphetamine use representing the most commonly used drug. Further, the greatest amount of methamphetamine was seized in Quebec. Harms of psychostimulants include but are not limited to cardiovascular events, violence, paranoia/psychosis, increase in crime, and risky behaviors. Overall, physical and mental morbidity is associated with psychostimulant use in addition to elevated risk of contracting HIV and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). There are increasing trends of the co-use of psycho-stimulants with opioids, resulting in heightened risk for acute adverse outcomes (eg, poisoning mortality). Populations involved in the use of psychostimulants across Canada are often socio-economically marginalized and vulnerable, or include men who have sex with men communities as well as post-secondary students. These populations warrant concerted efforts towards reducing the harms associated with psychostimulants; however, current interventions are limited. Interventions to be considered include safer psychostimulant paraphernalia distribution, psychosocial and pharmacotherapeutic interventions, supervised consumption services, and possible "safer supply" interventions. Studies suggest the need for tailored interventions for psychosti-mulants, prioritizing population-specific needs, better prevention, and further research. Overall, concerted effort to decrease psychostimulant-related use and harms, especially amongst youth, marginalized populations, and men who have sex with men communities, are warranted across Canada.

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Section: Harms In Canadamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Harms In Canadamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Populations Involved In Psychostimulant Use/ Harmsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Current State of Psychostimulants Use and Harms in Canada

O’Keefe-Markman

Vojtila

Fischer

2022

Canadian Journal of Addiction

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“…Compounding these effects, CM is commonly implicated in polysubstance use-particularly among SGM engaged in sexualized drug use or street drug use [7][8][9]. Furthermore, polysubstance use has been identified as a barrier to CM cessation among SGM [10]. In the broader population, polysubstance use disorders are acknowledged [11] and use of multiple drugs use has been associated with poorer engagement and outcomes in substance use treatment programs [12][13][14][15][16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Substance-specific readiness to change among sexual and gender minority men who use crystal methamphetamine

2022

Journal of Men's Health

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A patient-oriented approach to addressing high levels of polysubstance use among sexual and gender minority men (SGM) who use crystal methamphetamine (CM) requires an understanding of which drugs they would like to change their use of. We examined readiness to change for 24 separate substances. Participants were SGM, aged 18+, living with Canada, who used CM in the past six months that were recruited through advertisements on socio-sexual networking applications. Frequency of use and readiness to change were descriptively analyzed and associations between frequency of use and readiness to change were assessed. Only slightly more than half (53.1%) of CM-using SGM were ready now, soon, or in the future to change substance use. Participants were most ready to change their tobacco, methamphetamine, and barbiturate use. Greater frequency of use was associated with greater readiness to change for all drugs in which daily or almost daily use was common. SGM participants reported high levels of comfort being asked about their substance use from primary care, mental health, and queer-identified health professionals. Interventions addressing multiple and specific substances are needed in health care settings serving SGM who use CM. Screening, brief interventions, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) in these settings may help identify those ready to address their substance use. Harm reduction interventions should offer supports for those not wanting to change their substance use-which includes most SGM for most of the drugs they use.

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“…This is especially true for sexual and gender minority men who have sex with men (SGMSM), among whom the prevalence of methamphetamine is considerably higher. Estimates of methamphetamine use in the SGMSM population range from ten to twenty times greater than the general population [ 3 ]. For example, in a Vancouver-based sample of SGMSM recruited using respondent-driven sampling, an estimated 19.0% of participants used methamphetamine in the past 6 months, with 20.8% of those using at least weekly [ 4 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceived difficulty of getting help to reduce or abstain from substances among sexual and gender minority men who have sex with men (SGMSM) and use methamphetamine during the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic

Card

McGuire

Bond‐Gorr³

et al. 2021

Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy

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Background This study examined the perceived difficulty of getting help with substance use among sexual and gender minorities who have sex with men (SGMSM) who use methamphetamine during the early COVID-19 period. Methods SGMSM, aged 18+, who reported sex with a man and methamphetamine use in the past 6 months were recruited to complete an online survey using online advertisements. Ordinal regression models examined predictors of greater perceived difficulty of getting help. Explanatory variables included participant characteristics (i.e., age, HIV status, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, region, income) and variables assessing patterns of methamphetamine use (i.e., frequency, % time methamphetamine is used alone and during sex; perceived need for help) and patterns of healthcare access (i.e., regular provider, past substance use service utilization). Results Of 376 participants, most were gay-identified (76.6%), white (72.3%), cisgender (93.6%), and had annual incomes of less than $60,000 CAD (68.9%). Greater perceived difficulty of getting help was associated with having lower income, sometimes using methamphetamine prior to or during sex, and greater perceived need for help. Conclusion Based on these results, we urge greater investments in one-stop, low-barrier, culturally-appropriate care for SGMSM who use methamphetamine. This is especially important given that participants who perceive themselves as needing help to reduce or abstain from substance use perceive the greatest difficulty of getting such help.

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Factors Associated with Cessation or Reduction of Methamphetamine Use among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men (gbMSM) in Vancouver Canada

Cited by 8 publications

References 46 publications

The Current State of Psychostimulants Use and Harms in Canada

The Current State of Psychostimulants Use and Harms in Canada

Substance-specific readiness to change among sexual and gender minority men who use crystal methamphetamine

Perceived difficulty of getting help to reduce or abstain from substances among sexual and gender minority men who have sex with men (SGMSM) and use methamphetamine during the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic

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