One “chemsex” or many? Types of chemsex sessions among gay and other men who have sex with men in Madrid, Spain: findings from a qualitative study

Domingo, Pablo Santoro; Rodriguez, Rafael Garibay; Morales, Paola; Morano, Aitana; Moran, Mark

doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.102790

Cited by 36 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Moreover, MSM describe these internet platforms as important in this context [ 4 , 17 ], as their use can play a relevant role in facilitating drug use and risky sexual behavior [ 18 ]. While these encounters have been associated with private homes and hotel rooms, they are also commonly reported to happen in commercial sex establishments such as saunas or sex clubs [ 19 , 20 , 21 ]. The practice of chemsex in private domains can partly be attributed to the desire to adopt stigmatized and/or high-risk drug and sexual behaviors [ 12 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental Health Symptoms Associated with Sexualized Drug Use (Chemsex) among Men Who Have Sex with Men: A Systematic Review

Íncera-Fernández

Gámez-Guadix

Moreno-Guillén

2021

IJERPH

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Background: Sexualized drug use (SDU), also known as chemsex, refers to the use of psychoactive substances for sexual purposes among men who have sex with men (MSM), which has been associated with mental health symptoms. The objective of this review is to systematically review the available evidence on mental health outcomes in MSM who use sexualized drugs. Methods: To prepare this systematic review, search strategies were developed and applied to the Web of Science, Science Direct, PubMed, and Scopus databases. A total of 117 articles were found, of which 12 were selected for the final review. Results: Those MSM who practiced SDU were more likely to experience from depression, anxiety, or a substance dependence, although these results were not found in all the studies analyzed. Among those who practiced the administration of intravenous drugs (referred to as slamsex), the mental health symptoms were more severe. Conclusions: This systematic review contributes to a fuller understanding of the mental health symptoms present in MSM who consume drugs for sexual purposes. Greater uniformity in data collection instruments is required, as well as the need to conduct a more in-depth assessment of the psychosocial adjustment of people who practice chemsex.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental Health Symptoms Associated with Sexualized Drug Use (Chemsex) among Men Who Have Sex with Men: A Systematic Review

Íncera-Fernández

Gámez-Guadix

Moreno-Guillén

2021

IJERPH

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“…In this study, some MSM tended to use certain chemsex drugs (rather than just one drug of choice), but another group tended to use chemsex drugs in combination with a much wider variety of drugs (23). Four specific types of more extensive chemsex sessions with different forms of risk exposure can be identified (24): anonymous sessions (at private homes, with unknown men), chill-sex (sessions within a group of men who know each other), semi-closed parties (organized, among networks of friends and/ or couples), sessions in saunas/other sex venues (spontaneous, often between individuals who meet each other at these venues).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Chemsex users in Czechia: EMIS survey

Uholyeva¹,

Pitoňák²

2022

Cent Eur J Public Health

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Objectives: Chemsex is a phenomenon highly relevant to public health concerns. Our primary aim is to describe the Czech chemsex scene regarding substances used, sexual behaviour, mental health, sexual life satisfaction, internalization of homonegative attitudes, and prevalent chemsex patterns.Methods: The data from the European Men Who Have Sex With Men Internet Survey (EMIS) 2017 were used. The mental health of chemsex users was assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire 4 (PHQ4), internalized homonegativity was measured using the Short Internalized Homonegativity Scale. A sample of 87 men who have sex with men (MSM) chemsex users and a comparison group of 261 MSM were selected from the total sample of 1,688 respondents. Mann-Whitney and χ² tests were used to compare groups.Results: Active chemsex users made up 5% of the sample (87 of 1,688), with an average age of 37 years. Chemsex users were more likely to engage in condomless sex with non-steady partners (χ² = 46.8, p < 0.001), and had dramatically more STIs, such as HIV (χ² = 52.9, p < 0.001), HCV (χ² = 25.9, p < 0.001), and syphilis (χ² = 41.5, p < 0.001). Chemsex users frequently injected drugs (n = 19, 20%). More than half (n = 48; 55%) of chemsex users had sober sex in the last 4 weeks. Chemsex culture was associated with riskier substance use, both in terms of mode and frequency. The mental health of chemsex users in our sample did not differ significantly from the comparison group (χ² = 0.2, p < 0.7). Chemsex users did not conceal their sexual identity more often than the comparison group, on the contrary, 69% (n = 59) of them were out to most significant others, compared to 53% (n = 134) in the comparison group (χ² = 8.8, p < 0.05). In addition, we did not find differences in the degree of internalized homonegativity (χ² = 0.9, p < 0.4). Chemsex users were clearly and significantly more satisfied with their sex life than the comparison group (Mann-Whitney U test, p < 0.001).Conclusions: In our sample, chemsex use was not associated with a negative impact on health or wellbeing. Our results suggest that chemsex is not a homogeneous phenomenon. Many different patterns and subcultures exist, some of them are riskier, some safer than others.

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“…We also observed possible modification of the effect of chemsex on STI incidence by age, education and income. Qualitative evidence suggests that some gbMSM incorporate harm-reduction strategies in their chemsex practices, such as strict condom use, open discussion of HIV serostatus, and having established plans to address overdoses or loss of consciousness 10 51. It is possible that the stronger effect of chemsex among gbMSM aged 18–35 years and >50 years is due to age-dependent differences in the presence of such strategies and to different substance use patterns.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemsex and incidence of sexually transmitted infections among Canadian pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) users in the l’Actuel PrEP Cohort (2013–2020)

et al. 2022

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ObjectivesUse of illicit substances during sex (chemsex) may increase transmission of HIV and other STIs. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly effective at preventing HIV transmission, providing an important prevention tool for those who practise chemsex. However, it does not prevent acquisition of other STIs. We aim to examine the impact of chemsex on STI incidence among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM), and transgender women using PrEP in Montréal, Canada.MethodsWe linked baseline sociodemographic and behavioural data with follow-up STI testing from 2013 to 2020 among PrEP users in the l’Actuel PrEP Cohort (Canada). Focusing on the 24 months following PrEP initiation, we estimated the effect of chemsex reported at baseline on cumulative incidence of gonorrhoea and chlamydia using Kaplan-Meier curves and survival analyses. We investigated the role of polysubstance use and effect modification by sociodemographic factors.ResultsThere were 2086 clients (2079 cisgender gbMSM, 3 transgender gbMSM, 4 transgender women) who initiated PrEP, contributing 1477 years of follow-up. There were no incident HIV infections among clients on PrEP. Controlling for sociodemographic confounders, clients reporting chemsex at baseline had a 32% higher hazard of gonorrhoea/chlamydia diagnosis (adjusted HR=1.32; 95% CI: 1.10 to 1.57), equivalent to a risk increase of 8.9 percentage points (95% CI: 8.5 to 9.4) at 12 months. The effect was greater for clients who reported polysubstance use (adjusted HR=1.51; 95% CI: 1.21 to 1.89). The strength of the effect of chemsex on STI incidence varied by age, education and income.ConclusionAmong PrEP users, chemsex at baseline was linked to increased incidence of gonorrhoea and chlamydia. This effect was stronger for people reporting multiple chemsex substances. The high STI incidence among gbMSM who report chemsex highlights the importance of PrEP for this population and the need for integrated services that address the complexities of sexualised substance use.

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One “chemsex” or many? Types of chemsex sessions among gay and other men who have sex with men in Madrid, Spain: findings from a qualitative study

Cited by 36 publications

References 23 publications

Mental Health Symptoms Associated with Sexualized Drug Use (Chemsex) among Men Who Have Sex with Men: A Systematic Review

Mental Health Symptoms Associated with Sexualized Drug Use (Chemsex) among Men Who Have Sex with Men: A Systematic Review

Chemsex users in Czechia: EMIS survey

Chemsex and incidence of sexually transmitted infections among Canadian pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) users in the l’Actuel PrEP Cohort (2013–2020)

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