Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Postboks 222 Skøyen, 0213, Oslo, Norway.
University of Tromsø, Hansine Hansens veg 18, N-9019, Tromso, Norway.
BMC Public Health. 2020 Nov 25;20(1):1785. doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-09916-7.
The use of specific drugs to facilitate, enhance or prolong sexual sessions is referred to as 'chemsex'. The popularity of the behavior seems to be growing, but there is a paucity of information on the mental health aspects associated with chemsex and no data on chemsex from Nordic countries. We investigated the link between chemsex and mental health among men who have sex with men (MSM) and other men in Norway.
We recruited participants from a walk-in sexually transmitted infections (STI) clinic. Participants completed a piloted, anonymous self-administered survey. It consisted of questions about men's sociodemographic characteristics, mental health, sexual behaviors, substance use, and chemsex. The outcome we investigated was reduced mental health, measured with the validated Hopkins Symptom Check List. We obtained descriptive statistics and performed univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses.
1013 (96%) of the surveys were complete and could be analysed. The mean age of the sample was 33, 51% were MSM, and 21.7% had reduced mental health. More MSM than other men engaged in chemsex in the past year (17% vs 12%). The most frequently reported chemsex drugs were cocaine and gamma hydroxybutyrate/gamma butyrolactone (GHB/GBL). Men engaged in chemsex primarily to enhance sexual pleasure and excitement, and about half reported almost never or never using condoms for chemsex. In univariate analyses, significant predictors of reduced mental health was chemsex (Odds Ratio [OR] = 1.82), being unemployed (OR = 3.54), and having sex with only women (OR = 0.58). In multivariate analyses, two variables remained significantly associated with reduced mental health: chemsex (adjusted OR = 2.18, 95%CI = 1.25-3.78) and being unemployed (adjusted OR = 4.10, 95%CI = 2.13-7.87).
In our sample of men from an STI clinic in Norway, about 14% self-reported engaging in chemsex in the past year and about a fifth of the men had reduced mental health. Men who engaged in chemsex, which more MSM engaged in than other men, had two times greater odds of reduced mental health. These findings suggest that mental health assistance should be among the interventions offered to men engaging in chemsex.
使用特定药物来促进、增强或延长性行为被称为“嗑药性行为”。这种行为似乎越来越流行，但关于与嗑药性行为相关的心理健康方面的信息很少，而且北欧国家也没有嗑药性行为的数据。我们调查了挪威男男性行为者（MSM）和其他男性与嗑药性行为相关的心理健康问题。
我们从一家门诊性传播感染（STI）诊所招募参与者。参与者完成了一项试点、匿名的自我管理调查。其中包括有关男性社会人口统计学特征、心理健康、性行为、物质使用和嗑药性行为的问题。我们调查的结果是使用经过验证的霍普金斯症状检查表测量的心理健康状况下降。我们获得了描述性统计数据，并进行了单变量和多变量逻辑回归分析。
1013 份（96%）调查问卷完整并可进行分析。样本的平均年龄为 33 岁，51%是 MSM，21.7%的人心理健康状况下降。与其他男性相比，更多的 MSM 在过去一年中进行过嗑药性行为（17%对 12%）。报告最多的嗑药性行为药物是可卡因和γ-羟基丁酸/γ-丁内酯（GHB/GBL）。男性进行嗑药性行为主要是为了增强性快感和兴奋感，大约一半的人报告说他们几乎从不或从不使用避孕套进行嗑药性行为。在单变量分析中，心理健康状况下降的显著预测因素是嗑药性行为（优势比[OR] = 1.82）、失业（OR = 3.54）和只与女性发生性关系（OR = 0.58）。在多变量分析中，有两个变量与心理健康状况下降显著相关：嗑药性行为（调整后的 OR = 2.18，95%CI = 1.25-3.78）和失业（调整后的 OR = 4.10，95%CI = 2.13-7.87）。
在我们的挪威性传播感染诊所男性样本中，约 14%的人自我报告过去一年中进行过嗑药性行为，大约五分之一的男性心理健康状况下降。进行嗑药性行为的男性，即 MSM 比其他男性更倾向于进行嗑药性行为，他们的心理健康状况下降的可能性是两倍。这些发现表明，心理健康援助应该是向进行嗑药性行为的男性提供的干预措施之一。
