Online Intervention as Strategy to Reach Men Who Have Sex With Other Men and Who Use Substances in a Sexual Context. Development of the MONBUZZ.ca Project

Abstract

Men who have sex with men (MSM) use more psychoactive substances and a greater variety of them compared to their heterosexual peers. In this population, substance use is particularly characterized by polydrug use, binge, and sexualized substance use. MSM who use substances do not recognize themselves in public health messages targeting substance users. In addition, they recognize their problematic substance use later than heterosexuals and, as a result, they use addiction services later in their addiction trajectories. When accessing addiction services, the links between drug use and sexual life are rarely considered. Because of this profile, online interventions are a promising way to reach this hard-to-reach population. Currently available online interventions targeting MSM address the topics of substance use and sexual life separately. To deal with this situation, our team wanted to develop an online intervention platform for MSM who use substances in a sexual context. Given that online addiction interventions do not address sex and that MSM drug use is highly related to sexual activity, we first explored the literature related to online interventions targeting MSM and HIV risk behaviors, as well as online interventions targeting general population in order to: (1) identify relevant (or personalized) intervention methods; (2) describe the approaches used; and (3) describe their effects. Second, we turned to the literature to develop the MONBUZZ.ca project in collaboration with community organizations. The results of the narrative review provided a critical portrait of online interventions for MSM and guided the development process of MONBUZZ.ca. We discuss issues of co-development of a research and brief intervention tool based on promising practices as well as challenges of its implementation and evaluation.

Patterns and Factors Associated With Alcohol Misuse Among Young Black Men Who Have Sex With Men in New York City

“…This could be attributable to the broader definition of chemsex in our study which encompassed individuals using various substances such as marijuana, powder/crack cocaine, methamphetamine, and club drugs within two hours before or during anal sex, regardless of their role (top or bottom). In contrast, chemsex often refers to the use of methamphetamine in North America ( Flores-Aranda et al, 2019 ). Although there is no agreement on the definition of chemsex which varies based on the cultural and geographical contexts ( Flores-Aranda et al, 2019 ), it is well noted that chemsex among MSM is associated with significant physical, biomedical, and psychosocial harm ( Stevens et al, 2020 ).…”

“…In contrast, chemsex often refers to the use of methamphetamine in North America ( Flores-Aranda et al, 2019 ). Although there is no agreement on the definition of chemsex which varies based on the cultural and geographical contexts ( Flores-Aranda et al, 2019 ), it is well noted that chemsex among MSM is associated with significant physical, biomedical, and psychosocial harm ( Stevens et al, 2020 ). Hence, more research is needed to examine the association between chemsex and alcohol misuse among MSM as well as develop psychosocial and behavioral interventions to support MSM with a history of chemsex that is positively associated with alcohol misuse.…”

Sexualized drug use among gay men and other men who have sex with men in Latin America: A description of the phenomenon based on the results of LAMIS-2018

“…LAMIS-2018 was conducted using an online questionnaire, implying that the participants had a certain level of knowledge and access to mobile or desktop devices and the Internet. However, it was not a major obstacle among the population of gay men and other MSM [ 72 ]. Besides, the promotion was mainly done on web pages, social networks, and virtual communities frequently visited by MSM; therefore, the populations with limited resources, residents in areas with little access to the Internet, people not integrated in the LGTBIQ+ community, and people who did not frequently use virtual tools were underrepresented; therefore, LAMIS-2018 is likely to have covered a younger population with a higher level of education and employment rate than the general population of each participating country.…”

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

“…3 Such programmes could include, or link to, services for chemsex and other forms of substance use, given that few interventions are available for gbMSM who practise chemsex. [26][27][28] on January 23, 2022 by guest. Protected by copyright.…”

“…PrEP offers an opportunity to develop comprehensive HIV prevention programmes that address STIs via regular screening and treatment 3. Such programmes could include, or link to, services for chemsex and other forms of substance use, given that few interventions are available for gbMSM who practise chemsex 26–28…”