ArticleSexually transmitted infections2023
Predictors of starting and stopping chemsex in men who have sex with men in England: findings from the AURAH2 prospective study.
Article in Sexually transmitted infections, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- Work, Sex, and Substances: Differences in Self-Reported Chemsex Behaviors Between MSM Sex Workers and Digital Content Creators.Sexuality research & social policy : journal of NSRC : SR & SP · 2026Article
- Intention to Use Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Among Age Groups of Brazilian Men Who Have Sex With Men: National Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2025Article
- Chemsex Session Typologies and Associated Sociodemographic Factors in Sexual Minority Men: Latent Class Analysis From a Cultural Perspective Using a Cross-Sectional Survey.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2024Article
- Effectiveness of Harm Reduction Interventions in Chemsex: A Systematic Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
15 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundChemsex (the use of psychoactive drugs in sexual contexts) has been associated with HIV acquisition and other STIs, so there is benefit in identifying those most likely to start chemsex to offer risk reduction interventions such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). To date, there have been no data from a longitudinal study analysing factors most associated with starting and stopping chemsex.
methodsThe prospective cohort study, Attitudes to and Understanding Risk of Acquisition of HIV over Time (AURAH2), collected 4 monthly and annual online questionnaire data from men who have sex with men (MSM) from 2015 to 2018. We investigate the association of sociodemographic factors, sexual behaviours and drug use with starting and stopping chemsex among 622 men who completed at least one follow-up questionnaire. Poisson models with generalised estimating equations were used to produce risk ratios (RRs) accounting for multiple starting or stopping episodes from the same individual. Multivariable analysis was adjusted for age group, ethnicity, sexual identity and university education.
findingsIn the multivariable analysis, the under 40 age group was significantly more likely to start chemsex by the next assessment (RR 1.79, 95% CI 1.12 to 2.86). Other factors which showed significant association with starting chemsex were unemployment (RR 2.10, 95% CI 1.02 to 4.35), smoking (RR 2.49, 95% CI 1.63 to 3.79), recent condomless sex (CLS), recent STI and postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) use in the past year (RR 2.10, 95% CI 1.33 to 3.30). Age over 40 (RR 0.71, 95% CI 0.51 to 0.99), CLS, and use of PEP (RR 0.64, 95% CI 0.47 to 0.86) and PrEP (RR 0.47, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.78) were associated with lower likelihood of stopping chemsex by the next assessment.
interpretationKnowledge of these results allows us to identify men most likely to start chemsex, thus providing an opportunity for sexual health services to intervene with a package of risk mitigation measures, especially PrEP use.
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