Chemsex among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in Singapore and the challenges ahead: A qualitative study

Tan, Rayner Kay Jin; Wong, Christina; Chen, Mark; Chan, Yin Ying; Ibrahim, Muhamad Alif Bin; Lim, Oliver Zikai; Chio, Martin Tze-Wei; Wong, Chen Seong; Chan, Roy; Chua, Lynette J.; Choong, Bryan C H

doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2018.10.002

Cited by 52 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 27 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Online dating platforms makes it easier to have chemsex at private settings [35]. The use of certain symbols indicating drug use in personal advertisements in these dating platforms [36] probably stimulates selection of sex partners who also use drugs and increases perceptions of ubiquity of chemsex.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Attitude and beliefs about the social environment associated with chemsex among MSM visiting STI clinics in the Netherlands: An observational study

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Drug use during sex, 'chemsex', is common among men who have sex with men (MSM) and related to sexual and mental health harms. This study assessed associations between chemsex and a wide range of determinants among MSM visiting STI clinics to increase understanding of characteristics and beliefs of MSM practicing chemsex. Methods In 2018, 785 MSM were recruited at nine Dutch STI clinics; 368 (47%) fully completed the online questionnaire. All participants reported to have had sex in the past six months. Chemsex was defined as using cocaine, crystal meth, designer drugs, GHB/GBL, ketamine, speed or XTC/MDMA during sex in the past six months. Associations between chemsex and psychosocial determinants, socio-demographics, sexual behaviour and using tobacco or alcohol were assessed by multivariable logistic regression analyses. Results Chemsex was reported by 44% of MSM (161/368) and was not associated with socio-demographics. Independent determinants were 'believing that the majority of friends/sex partners use drugs during sex' (descriptive norm) (aOR: 1.95, 95%CI: 1.43-2.65), 'believing that sex is more fun when using drugs' (attitude) (aOR: 2.

show abstract

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Attitude and beliefs about the social environment associated with chemsex among MSM visiting STI clinics in the Netherlands: An observational study

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Other reasons given included the following: overcoming underconfidence, enhancing the emotional connection with sex partners, and coping with stress [ 3 ]. Although a qualitative study suggested that MSM are under peer pressure to have SDU and chemsex [ 18 ], other social network–related factors (such as fear of loss of partners or friends) deterred MSM from using psychoactive substances before or during sexual intercourse [ 3 ]. Only one quantitative study showed that a perceived lower confidence of practicing safe sex consistently was associated with a higher likelihood of chemsex among MSM in the United Kingdom [ 5 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Hong Kong, 96% of residents have access to a smartphone [ 22 ]; 85% and 57% use Facebook and Instagram, respectively [ 23 ]; and about 70% of local MSM use gay social networking apps to seek sex partners [ 24 ]. Social media (eg, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Weibo) and location-aware gay social networking apps (eg, Grindr, Jack’d, Blued) have facilitated drug purchasing and seeking SDU and chemsex in one’s geographical location [ 18 , 25 , 26 ]. Across countries, MSM reported that it was common to encounter information related to SDU/chemsex when browsing these social media and apps [ 18 , 25 , 26 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Social media (eg, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Weibo) and location-aware gay social networking apps (eg, Grindr, Jack’d, Blued) have facilitated drug purchasing and seeking SDU and chemsex in one’s geographical location [ 18 , 25 , 26 ]. Across countries, MSM reported that it was common to encounter information related to SDU/chemsex when browsing these social media and apps [ 18 , 25 , 26 ]. Many MSM openly solicit chemsex in their online profiles [ 18 , 25 , 26 ], while others reported being asked to use psychoactive substances or engage in SDU/chemsex by other MSM through these apps [ 18 , 25 - 28 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Influence of Social Media on Sexualized Drug Use and Chemsex Among Chinese Men Who Have Sex With Men: Observational Prospective Cohort Study

Wang

Yang

et al. 2020

J Med Internet Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Sexualized drug use (SDU; the use of any psychoactive substance before or during sexual intercourse) is prevalent among men who have sex with men (MSM) and may aggravate the worsening HIV epidemic in this key population. Objective This observational prospective cohort study investigated factors predicting the occurrence of SDU within a 6-month follow-up period among a sample of MSM in Hong Kong. We hypothesized that perceptions related to SDU would mediate the association between the influence of social media/gay social networking apps and SDU during the follow-up period. Methods Participants were Chinese-speaking men in Hong Kong, China who had anal intercourse with at least one man in the past year. Among 600 participants who completed the baseline telephone survey, 407 (67.8%) completed another telephone survey 6 months later. Logistic regression models and path analysis were fitted. Results At Month 6, 6.9% (28/407) and 4.4% (18/407) of participants reported SDU and chemsex during the follow-up period. After adjustment for significant baseline background variables (use of pre-exposure prophylaxis; history of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections; anal intercourse with nonregular male sex partners, condomless anal intercourse with men, multiple male sex partnerships, and SDU at baseline), three constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) were significantly associated with SDU during the follow-up period: (1) positive attitudes toward SDU (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.19, 95% CI 1.05-1.36), (2) perceived support for SDU from significant others (AOR 1.15, 95% CI 1.01-1.30), and (3) perceived behavioral control of refraining from SDU (AOR 0.76, 95% CI 0.59-0.98). Exposure to information supporting SDU on social media and gay social networking apps was also significantly associated with SDU (AOR 1.11, 95% CI 1.01-1.22). Bootstrapping analyses indicated that social media influence was indirectly associated with SDU through TPB-related perceptions of SDU (β=.04; B=.002, 95% CI 0.001-0.01). Conclusions Social media and gay social networking apps may be a major source of influence on MSM’s perceptions and actual behaviors related to SDU.

show abstract

“…Engaging in chemsex was identified as a factor for connectivity and its high betweenness centrality suggested that such activity could form a hub of transmission. Chemsex often took place in private premises and the participants were often recruited online, especially through mobile apps [21]. On the other hand, public venue goers frequenting sauna, public toilet and spa had a lower connectivity in the network, as compared to the observed higher betweenness centrality among app users.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incorporation of information diffusion model for enhancing analyses in HIV molecular surveillance

Kwan

Wong

Lui

et al. 2020

Emerging Microbes & Infections

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Molecular surveillance of infections is essential in monitoring their transmission in the population. In this study, newly diagnosed HIV patients' phylogenetic, clinical and behavioural data were integrated, and an information diffusion model was incorporated in analysing transmission dynamics. A genetic network was constructed from HIV sequences, from which transmission cascades were extracted. From the transmission cascades, CRF01_AE had higher values of information diffusion metrics, including scale, speed and range, than that of B, signifying the distinct transmission patterns of two circulating subtypes in Hong Kong. Patients connected in the network, were more likely male, younger, of main circulating subtypes, to have acquired HIV infection locally, and a higher CD4 level at diagnosis. Genetic connections varied among men who have sex with men (MSM) who used different channels of sex networking and varied in their engagement in risk behaviours. MSM using recreational drugs for sex held positions of greater importance within the network. Significant differences in network metrics were observed among MSM as differentiated by their mobile apps usage patterns, evidencing the impact of social network on transmission networks. The applied model in the presence of consistently collected longitudinal data could enhance HIV molecular epidemiologic surveillance for informing future intervention planning.

show abstract

Chemsex among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in Singapore and the challenges ahead: A qualitative study

Cited by 52 publications

References 27 publications

Attitude and beliefs about the social environment associated with chemsex among MSM visiting STI clinics in the Netherlands: An observational study

Attitude and beliefs about the social environment associated with chemsex among MSM visiting STI clinics in the Netherlands: An observational study

Influence of Social Media on Sexualized Drug Use and Chemsex Among Chinese Men Who Have Sex With Men: Observational Prospective Cohort Study

Incorporation of information diffusion model for enhancing analyses in HIV molecular surveillance

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About