“How do online and offline sampling compare in a multinational study of drug use and nightlife behaviour?”

Waldron, Jon; Grabski, Meryem; Freeman, Tom P; Mokrysz, Claire; Hindocha, Chandni; Measham, Fiona; Beek, Ruben van; Pol, Peggy van der; Hauspie, Bert; Dirkx, Nicky; Schrooten, Jochen; Elgán, Tobias H.; Feltmann, Kristin; Benedetti, Elisa; Tomba, Gianpaolo Scalia; Fabi, Francesco; Molinaro, Sabrina; Gripenberg, Johanna; Havere, Tina Van; Laar, Margriet van; Curran, H. Valerie

doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.102812

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 22 publications

(24 reference statements)

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“…A limitation of the study is the substantial internal drop-out regarding questions of main setting of use and consequences of drug use. Moreover, 72% of the respondents were male, which might reflect a selection bias, as indicated by the following studies: (1) offline studies at one large festival and a large EDM event in Sweden consisted of 64 percent males in each study [ 18 , 81 ]; (2) a comparison of online and offline recruitment in the remaining European countries of the ALAMA study indicates that the online and offline sample consisted of 69% and 58% males, respectively [ 82 ]. Furthermore, the online participants were on average one year younger compared with offline participants, and drug use was slightly less prevalent in the online sample [ 82 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Illicit Drug Use and Associated Problems in the Nightlife Scene: A Potential Setting for Prevention

Feltmann

Elgán

Strandberg

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Illicit drug use is prevalent in the nightlife scene, especially at electronic dance music (EDM) events. The aim of the present study was to investigate illicit drug use patterns and consequences of drug use among frequent visitors of EDM events. Young adults (18–34 years old) who had visited at least six EDM events in Sweden during the past year participated in a web-based survey on drug use patterns and its consequences. Fifty-nine percent of participants had used illicit drugs during the past year, most often cannabis followed by ecstasy, cocaine, and amphetamine. Nightlife venues were identified as the main setting for the use of central stimulants, while cannabis was mostly used at home. Frequent alcohol and tobacco use was associated with illicit drug use. The most prevalent negative consequences of drug use were related to mental health, such as impairments in mood, sleep, and memory problems, but physical manifestations were also reported, such as palpitations and collapsing. These findings confirm that drug use is prevalent and associated with negative health effects among EDM nightlife attendees. The nightlife scene is a setting with promising potential to reach a high-risk target group with illicit drug use prevention interventions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Illicit Drug Use and Associated Problems in the Nightlife Scene: A Potential Setting for Prevention

Feltmann

Elgán

Strandberg

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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“…They are particularly commonly used to recruit populations such as PWUD as these are often considered hard to reach through traditional sampling methods without affecting the study results. A recently conducted research in the European nightlife scene concluded that online sampling shows a good overall representativeness of the results compared to offline sampling ( Waldron et al., 2020 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 and people who use drugs: Impact of the pandemic on general anxiety and depressive disorders among adults in Belgium

Baelen¹,

Gremeaux²,

Antoine³

et al. 2021

Journal of Affective Disorders

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Background During previous pandemics people who use drugs (PWUD) were categorized among the most vulnerable. In the current study, firstly, we wanted to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders among PWUD. Furthermore, we wanted to compare the prevalence of these disorders with that of members from the general population who did not use drugs. Methods We used a matched cohort design based on two separate repeated cross-sectional online surveys (April and November 2020) among PWUD and the general population. Results of GAD-7 and PHQ-9 were used as outcome variables. We calculated absolute and relative risks for matched pairs for both affective disorders, and logistic regression to compare affective disorders over both waves for PWUD. Results In April, the prevalence of affective disorders was similar for PWUD and the general population. In November, the risks for anxiety disorders increased with 64% for PWUD compared to non-PWUD (RR = 1.64, 95%CI 1.42–1.88), whereas the risks for depressive disorders more than doubled (RR = 2.29, 95%CI 1.97–2.67). Having a job and being male were protective factors for PWUD for both anxiety and depressive disorders. Limitations As this study used self-reported data, GAD-7 and PHQ-9 give an indication of the presence of anxiety and depression which might differ from a clinician's judgement. Conclusions PWUD might be disproportionally affected by COVID-19. Health care providers should be attentive to substance use as an indicator for increased risk of mental health problems.

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“…Researchers asked survey questions to respondents and recorded answers (on paper in 2016 and on electronic tablets in 2019), facilitating opportunities to answer queries and clarifications from respondents as they arose, as well as direct assurances of confidentiality. A sister study conducted in some of the same UK festivals at overlapping times and with overlapping researchers compared face-to-face convenience sample surveys with online surveys regarding prevalence of drug use and found overall reassuringly similar levels of self-reported drug use (Waldron et al, 2020). Slightly lower self-reported prevalence of drug use in the online surveys by comparison with the onsite surveys may relate to concerns about digital privacy, security and hacking, mentioned by some festival respondents.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Normalization of Leisure Sex and Recreational Drugs: Exploring Associations Between Polydrug Use and Sexual Practices by English Festival-Goers

McCormack

Measham

Wignall

2021

Contemporary Drug Problems

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The relationship between drug use and sexual practice is complex. Significant focus has been placed on risky practices, yet the broader associations between drug use and sexual activities remain elusive outside such contexts. This is despite similar trends of liberalizing attitudes and practices being identified in each area, theorized as the normalization of recreational drug use and the liberalization of consensual sexual practice. In this article, we draw on convenience sample surveys of 966 festival-goers at an English music festival in 2016 and 2019 to assess prevalence of polydrug use and to examine whether people who consume illicit drugs are more likely to engage in sexual behaviors considered more liberal than the traditional norm. We show that people who reported polydrug use in the last 12 months were significantly more likely to engage in non-traditional sexual behaviors, including sex with a friend and anal sex, in that same time period. In combining and comparing two usually distinct discourses, this exploratory study suggests that the normalization of drugs and the liberalization of consensual sexual practices are related and can be conceptualized as part of a broader societal acceptance and cultural accommodation of illicit drug use and particular sexual practices as leisure activities, despite markedly different policy and legal contexts for each activity. We conclude that the concept of “normalization” may be more appropriate to understanding changes in sexuality than “liberalization” in the context of “leisure sex” and call for further cross-disciplinary research on drugs and sex using this approach.

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“How do online and offline sampling compare in a multinational study of drug use and nightlife behaviour?”

Cited by 10 publications

References 22 publications

Illicit Drug Use and Associated Problems in the Nightlife Scene: A Potential Setting for Prevention

Illicit Drug Use and Associated Problems in the Nightlife Scene: A Potential Setting for Prevention

COVID-19 and people who use drugs: Impact of the pandemic on general anxiety and depressive disorders among adults in Belgium

The Normalization of Leisure Sex and Recreational Drugs: Exploring Associations Between Polydrug Use and Sexual Practices by English Festival-Goers

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