Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40603540›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Prevalence of chemsex and associated factors among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in Nepal: findings from an online national survey.

Kiran Paudel, Kamal Gautam, Anjila Pandey, Prashamsa Bhandari, Jefferey A Wickersham, Manisha Dhakal, Md Safaet Hossain Sujan, Bibhav Acharya, Sabitri Sapkota, Archana Shrestha and 1 more

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Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Kiran PaudelNepal Health Frontiers, Tokha-5, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Kamal GautamDepartment of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA.
Anjila PandeyManmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Prashamsa BhandariInstitute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Jefferey A WickershamDepartment of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, 135 College St., Suite 323, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA.
Manisha DhakalBlue Diamond Society, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Md Safaet Hossain SujanDepartment of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA.
Bibhav AcharyaDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, 675 18th Street, San Francisco, CA, 94107, USA.
Sabitri SapkotaPossible, a non-profit organization, Bhim Plaza, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Archana ShresthaDepartment of Public Health, Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences, Dhulikhel, Nepal.
Roman ShresthaNepal Health Frontiers, Tokha-5, Kathmandu, Nepal. roman.shrestha@uconn.edu.

Funding

Training in MHealth Prevention with MSMK01DA051346 · NIDA · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI SHRESTHA, ROMAN · 2020 to 2024
$862k
NIDA NIH HHS K01 DA051346
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The increase in the chemsex phenomenon among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) is alarming, as it is associated with risky sexual behaviors, including condomless sex and multiple sex partners. Despite increasing concerns, there is nonexistent research on chemsex among GBMSM in Nepal. Therefore, our study aimed to identify the prevalence and factors associated with engagement in chemsex among GBMSM in Nepal. A cross-sectional online survey of 842 Nepali GBMSM was conducted between March and May 2024. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with chemsex engagement within the past 12 months. Among 842 participants (mean age 27.6 ± 7.1 years), 24.7% reported ever engaging in chemsex, and 19.1% did so in the past 12 months. GBMSM who had completed high school were less likely to have engaged in chemsex in the past 12 months (aOR: 0.5; 95% CI: 0.3-0.8). However, GBMSM who reported having multiple sex partners (aOR: 9.6; 95% CI: 1.3-71.4), being involved in party/group sex in the past 12 months (aOR: 2.5; 95% CI: 1.5-3.9), and with depressive symptoms (aOR: 2.0; 95% CI: 1.3-3.0) were more likely to have engaged in chemsex in the past 12 months. An integrated approach is urgently needed, encompassing awareness raising, safe drug use support, sexual health services, and mental health care.

Indexed as

BisexualityHomosexuality, MaleSexual and Gender MinoritiesSexual BehaviorUnsafe SexAdolescentAdultChemsexCross-Sectional StudiesHumansMaleNepalPrevalenceRisk-TakingSexual PartnersSurveys and QuestionnairesChemsexGay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with menNepalParty and playPsychoactive substancesSexualized drug use

Identifiers

PMID40603540
PMCPMC12222907

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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.