ArticlePreventive medicine reports2020
Sexual, addiction and mental health care needs among men who have sex with men practicing chemsex - a cross-sectional study in the Netherlands.
Article in Preventive medicine reports, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 81 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exploring practices to enhance benefits and reduce risks of chemsex among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men: A meta-ethnography.The International journal on drug policy · 2024Pooled it
- Web-Based Harm Reduction Intervention for Chemsex in Men Who Have Sex With Men: Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2023Trial
- Pleasure, shame and harm reduction: A qualitative investigation of poppers and sexualized drug use among men who have sex with men in China.The International journal on drug policy · 2026Article
- Integrative treatment approach to problematic sexualized drug use (Chemsex) of 3-methylmethcathinone: a case report.Journal of medical case reports · 2025Article
- Chemsex and sexual risk behavior among MSM on PrEP in Stockholm, Sweden.Drug and alcohol dependence reports · 2025Article
- Mental Health and Drug Use Patterns Among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) Engaging in Chemsex in the UK.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Exploring experiences of talk therapies among gay and bisexual men seeking to reduce or abstain from using crystal methamphetamine in the context of chemsex.Drug and alcohol review · 2025Article
- Evaluating the Implementation of Home-Based Sexual Health Care Among Men Who Have Sex with Men: Limburg4zero.AIDS and behavior · 2025Article
- Sexualized drug use factors among rural sexual minority men.The Journal of rural health : official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association · 2025Article
- South African harm reduction guideline for chemsex.Southern African journal of HIV medicine · 2025Article
- Polydrug use during chemsex: single and intersecting sexual effects of commonly used drugs.Frontiers in public health · 2025Review
- Sexual and mental health of Singaporean gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in times of COVID-19: a qualitative study.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2024Article
- Assessing the Effectiveness of an mHealth Intervention to Support Men Who Have Sex With Men Engaging in Chemsex (Budd): Single-Case and Pre-Post Experimental Design Study.JMIR formative research · 2024Article
- Health disparities in one of the world's most progressive countries: a scoping review of mental health and substance use among sexual and gender minority people in the Netherlands.BMC public health · 2023Article
- Predictors of starting and stopping chemsex in men who have sex with men in England: findings from the AURAH2 prospective study.Sexually transmitted infections · 2023Article
- Utilization of mental health services in relation to the intention to reduce chemsex behavior among clients from an integrated sexual health services center in Taiwan.Harm reduction journal · 2023Article
- Psychometric Properties of the Sexual Compulsivity Scale in Men Who Have Sex with Men in Spanish Population.AIDS and behavior · 2023Article
- Understanding Sexualized Drug Use: Substances, Reasons, Consequences, and Self-Perceptions among Men Who Have Sex with Other Men in Spain.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Using Intervention Mapping to Develop an mHealth Intervention to Support Men Who Have Sex With Men Engaging in Chemsex (Budd): Development and Usability Study.JMIR research protocols · 2022Article
- The World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry guidelines on the assessment and pharmacological treatment of compulsive sexual behaviour disorder.Dialogues in clinical neuroscience · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Drug use during sex ('chemsex') has been associated with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and mental health harms. Little quantitative evidence exists on the health care needs of MSM practicing chemsex from a patient perspective. This study assessed self-perceived benefits and harms and the needs for professional counselling among MSM practicing chemsex. In 2018, 785 MSM were recruited at nine Dutch STI clinics and 511 (65%) completed the online questionnaire. Chemsex was defined as using cocaine, crystal meth, designer drugs, GHB/GBL, ketamine, speed and/or XTC/MDMA during sex <6 months. Chemsex was reported by 41% (209/511), of whom 23% (48/209) reported a need for professional counselling. The most reported topic to discuss was increasing self-control (52%, 25/48). Most MSM preferred to be counselled by sexual health experts (56%, 27/48). The need for professional counselling was higher among MSM who engaged in chemsex ≥2 times per month (30% vs. 17%, p = 0.03), did not have sex without drugs (sober sex) in the past three months (41% vs. 20%, p = 0.04), experienced disadvantages of chemsex (28% vs. 15%, p = 0.03), had a negative change in their lives due to chemsex (53% vs. 21%, p = 0.002), and/or had an intention to change chemsex behaviours (45% vs. 18%, p < 0.001). Our study shows that almost one in four MSM practicing chemsex expressed a need for professional counselling on chemsex-related issues. STI healthcare providers should assess the need for professional counselling in MSM practicing chemsex, especially in MSM with above mentioned characteristics, such as frequent users.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.