ArticleThe International journal on drug policy2015
Motivations for prescription drug misuse among young men who have sex with men (YMSM) in Philadelphia.
Article in The International journal on drug policy, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The epidemiology of benzodiazepine misuse: A systematic review.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2019Pooled it
- Stimulant and non-stimulant ADHD medication prescriptions for homeless veteran service users with mental illness.Journal of psychiatric research · 2026Article
- Age-related patterns of cocaine and methamphetamine use across the life course in the United States: Disparities by gender and sexual identity among adults.Addictive behaviors · 2023Article
- Patterns and motivations of polysubstance use: a rapid review of the qualitative evidence.Health promotion and chronic disease prevention in Canada : research, policy and practice · 2022Review
- Goofballing of Opioid and Methamphetamine: The Science Behind the Deadly Cocktail.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2022Review
- Medical, Nonmedical, and Illegal Stimulant Use by Sexual Identity and Gender.American journal of preventive medicine · 2020Article
- Patterns, contexts, and motivations for polysubstance use among people who inject drugs in non-urban settings in the U.S. Northeast.The International journal on drug policy · 2020Article
- Normative Substance Use Antecedents among Sexual Minorities: A Scoping Review and Synthesis.Psychology of sexual orientation and gender diversity · 2020Article
- Substance Use as a Mechanism for Social Inclusion among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men in Vancouver, Canada.Substance use & misuse · 2019Article
- Predictors of correspondence between self-reported substance use and urinalysis screening among a racially diverse cohort of young men who have sex with men and transgender women.Addictive behaviors · 2019Article
- Sexual orientation disparities in prescription drug misuse among a nationally representative sample of adolescents: Prevalence and correlates.Addictive behaviors · 2018Article
- A three-city comparison of drug use and drug use before sex among young men who have sex with men in the United States.Journal of gay & lesbian social services · 2018Article
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Abstract
backgroundPrescription drug misuse (i.e. opioids, tranquilizers and stimulants) has become the fastest growing area of substance abuse among young adults. Limited studies focus on prescription drug misuse among young men who have sex with men (YMSM, aged 18-29 years). Furthermore, little is known about YMSM's motivations for misuse. The purpose of this study was to explore personal motivations for prescription drug misuse among YMSM, including the possible connection between misuse and sexual behaviors.
methodsAs part of a larger mixed methods study of 191 YMSM recruited in Philadelphia during 2012-2013, we conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with 25 of these participants to gather additional contextual information about their prescription drug misuse. We conducted thematic analysis of qualitative data.
resultsWhile our results corroborated previous literature on motives for misuse of prescription drugs, our data yielded some distinct motivations specific among YMSM. These motives included social/recreational motives, facilitating sex with other men (including motives such as use of opioids for less painful anal receptive sex), and psychological motives such as depression, stress management, coping with everyday hardships (opioids and tranquilizers) or feeling more energized (stimulants). Prescription drugs were commonly misused within the broader contexts of participants' polysubstance use, adding to the significance of this problem.
conclusionsOur findings offer insights into YMSM's motivations for prescription drug misuse, and point to the importance of recognizing and addressing them. While substance use is likely related to various psychosocial issues impacting YMSM, it also may lead to significant health consequences. Results support the need to include prescription drugs and polysubstance use in harm reduction messages and treatment approaches aimed at substance using YMSM.
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