Experiences of harm and mental ill-health among gay, bisexual and other men-who-have-sex-with-men who use methamphetamine or GHB/GBL in different combinations: findings from the COMeT study in Taiwan

• Published in: Harm reduction journal 2024-10, Vol.21 (1), p.181-10, Article 181
• Main Authors: Hsu, Jing-Hao, Huang, Poyao, Li, Chia-Wen, Bourne, Adam, Strong, Carol, Ku, Stephane Wen-Wei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 4-Butyrolactone - adverse effects; Adult; Amphetamine-Related Disorders - psychology; Analysis; Chemsex; Complications and side effects; Cross-Sectional Studies; Date rape drugs; Dosage and administration; Gamma-butyrolactone (GBL); Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB); Gay-bisexual-and-other-men-who-have-sex-with-men (GBMSM); Harm reduction; Health aspects; Homosexuality, Male - psychology; Homosexuality, Male - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Hydroxybutyrates; Male; Mental Disorders - epidemiology; Mental Disorders - psychology; Mental health; Methamphetamine; Methamphetamine - adverse effects; Middle Aged; Prevention; Sexual and Gender Minorities - psychology; Sexual and Gender Minorities - statistics & numerical data; Sexual Behavior - psychology; Sexual minorities; Sexually transmitted diseases; Social aspects; Social networks; Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Substance-Related Disorders - psychology; Surveys; Taiwan - epidemiology; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1477-7517; 1477-7517
• DOI: 10.1186/s12954-024-01094-8

Polydrug use in the context of chemsex is commonplace among gay, bisexual, and other men-who-have-sex-with-men (GBMSM). This study aimed to examine the differences in experiences of physical, social, and psychological harms, as well as mental ill-health among GBMSM who use different combinations of methamphetamine and gamma-hydroxybutyric acid/gamma-butyrolactone (GHB/GBL) during chemsex. Adult GBMSM participants who had experience of chemsex in the past 12 months participated in a cross-sectional online survey in Taiwan and self-reported their sociodemographic background, sexual behaviours, mental health, and experiences of harm following a chemsex session. We used univariable and multivariable logistic regression to assess the different experiences of harm and mental ill-health among GBMSM who engaged in chemsex without using methamphetamine, used methamphetamine but not GHB/GBL, and who used both drugs. Out of 510 participants who completed all items included in the analysis, 24.1% engaged in chemsex without using methamphetamine, 36.9% used methamphetamine but not GHB/GBL, and 39.0% used both drugs. Eighty five percent of men who used both methamphetamine and GHB/GBL reported at least one kind of social harm after a chemsex session, such as missing dates or appointments, or appearing "high" at work, followed by used methamphetamine but not GHB/GBL (69.7%) and those without using methamphetamine (37.4%). After controlling for polydrug and frequency of drug use in the multivariable logistic regression, those who used methamphetamine but not GHB/GBL and those who used both drugs were more likely to report experiencing physical and psychological harms compared to those who did not use methamphetamine (p