Chemsex, Anxiety and Depression Among Gay, Bisexual and Other Men Who have Sex with Men Living with HIV

David James Field; John de Wit; Martin P. Davoren; Eilis J. O’Reilly; Chantal Den Daas

doi:10.1007/s10461-023-04041-z

Chemsex, Anxiety and Depression Among Gay, Bisexual and Other Men Who have Sex with Men Living with HIV

David James Field^* (Corresponding Author), John de Wit, Martin P. Davoren, Eilis J. O’Reilly, Chantal Den Daas

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

Chemsex is common among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM). Although not always categorised as problematic, a link with psychological distress has been reported and might be exacerbated amongst gbMSM living with HIV, as HIV has been associated with anxiety and depression. A cross-sectional online survey of gbMSM living with HIV (n = 359) was performed incorporating the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and sociodemographic variables including, HIV characteristics, chemsex and sexual behaviours. Logistic regression analysis was used to find associations with anxiety or depression. Many participants engaged in chemsex (48.5%, n = 174). Chemsex was associated with lower odds of depression (aOR 0.45, 95% CI 0.23–0.85) and not associated with anxiety (aOR 0.66, CI 0.40–1.09). Although chemsex is a public health concern; we found it was associated with lower levels of depression in gbMSM living with HIV. However, causal inference is not possible, as gbMSM with higher levels of depression might engage in chemsex less.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	3206–3212
Number of pages	7
Journal	AIDS and Behavior
Volume	27
Issue number	10
Early online date	25 Mar 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-023-04041-z
Publication status	Published - 1 Oct 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding
Research did not receive any specific funding.

Data Availability Statement

The data supporting this study’s findings are available from the corresponding author on request.

Keywords

MSM
Chemsex
Mental Health
HIV
Anxiety
Depression

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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Cite this

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title = "Chemsex, Anxiety and Depression Among Gay, Bisexual and Other Men Who have Sex with Men Living with HIV",

abstract = "Chemsex is common among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM). Although not always categorised as problematic, a link with psychological distress has been reported and might be exacerbated amongst gbMSM living with HIV, as HIV has been associated with anxiety and depression. A cross-sectional online survey of gbMSM living with HIV (n = 359) was performed incorporating the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and sociodemographic variables including, HIV characteristics, chemsex and sexual behaviours. Logistic regression analysis was used to find associations with anxiety or depression. Many participants engaged in chemsex (48.5%, n = 174). Chemsex was associated with lower odds of depression (aOR 0.45, 95% CI 0.23–0.85) and not associated with anxiety (aOR 0.66, CI 0.40–1.09). Although chemsex is a public health concern; we found it was associated with lower levels of depression in gbMSM living with HIV. However, causal inference is not possible, as gbMSM with higher levels of depression might engage in chemsex less.",

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AB - Chemsex is common among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM). Although not always categorised as problematic, a link with psychological distress has been reported and might be exacerbated amongst gbMSM living with HIV, as HIV has been associated with anxiety and depression. A cross-sectional online survey of gbMSM living with HIV (n = 359) was performed incorporating the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and sociodemographic variables including, HIV characteristics, chemsex and sexual behaviours. Logistic regression analysis was used to find associations with anxiety or depression. Many participants engaged in chemsex (48.5%, n = 174). Chemsex was associated with lower odds of depression (aOR 0.45, 95% CI 0.23–0.85) and not associated with anxiety (aOR 0.66, CI 0.40–1.09). Although chemsex is a public health concern; we found it was associated with lower levels of depression in gbMSM living with HIV. However, causal inference is not possible, as gbMSM with higher levels of depression might engage in chemsex less.

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KW - Mental Health

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Chemsex, Anxiety and Depression Among Gay, Bisexual and Other Men Who have Sex with Men Living with HIV

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Data Availability Statement

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

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Cite this