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ABSTRACT
Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) is a population that is less frequently the target of drug research in a Scandinavian context. Objectives: This study aims to explore: (1) the existence of club drug use among a sample of Swedish MSM, and (2) associations between club drug use and sociodemographic, sociosexual, and sexual risk behavior. Methods: Data were drawn from a larger European study on MSM and HIV but the analytic sample consisted of the 3,004 MSM who resided in Sweden. SPSS 20.0 statistical software was used to perform the analysis. The primary outcome variable was a dichotomous measure of having used club drugs in the past 12 months vs. not. The independent variables were categorized into three domains, sociodemographic, sociosexual, and sexual risk behavior. The analysis was undertaken as a univariable analysis. Results: Results show that club drug use exists in the Swedish MSM population and is particularly prevalent among gay identified, younger MSM from metropolitan areas, and among men with diagnosed HIV or other STIs. Moreover, club drug use was common among the men that had more sexual partners and took more sexual risks. These men were also more likely to have been diagnosed with an STI. Conclusions/Importance: MSM who use club drugs have to be acknowledged in the Swedish drug policy context, as well as within clinical practice. Further research is needed to develop an understanding of the social and contextual dimensions involved in club drug use among Swedish MSM.
Notes
1 The two types of indicators—European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS)—are used to measure to what extent certain groups are reached with specific parts of HIV prevention. A description of the indicators can be found at http://ecdc.europa.eu/ and http://www.unaids.org.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Frida J. M. Petersson
Frida J. M. Petersson (Ph.D.) is Senior lecturer in Social Work at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. She has worked as a social worker in the field of adult social care and has a particular interest in applying micro-sociological theory to welfare policies and interventions directed against so-called “problem groups” in society . e.g. people experiencing substance abuse problems or homelessness. Her Ph.D. thesis, “Controlling addiction. The logic, practice and semantics of methadone maintenance treatment”, contributes to an added understanding of how power is exercised and experienced in the Swedish maintenance treatment programmes.
Ronny Tikkanen
Ronny Tikkanen (Ph.D.) is Associate Professor in Social Work at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Ronny Tikkanen has completed several large Swedish national surveys in the area of sexuality and HIV prevention. He was also a part of the European collaborative project EMIS (The European MSM Internet Survey), a joint project of academic, governmental, non-governmental, and online media partners covering 38 countries.
Axel J. Schmidt
Axel J. Schmidt has a degree in medicine (2000) and public health/epidemiology (2006). He is currently based at the Swiss Federal Office for Public Health (as an epidemiologist) and the Infectious Diseases Department of the Cantonal Hospital of St.Gallen, Switzerland (as a clinician). He led the European MSM Internet Survey (EMIS) between 2009 and 2011.