Anabolic Androgenic Steroid Research Group, Section for Clinical Addiction Research, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. 2023 Apr 3;18(1):19. doi: 10.1186/s13011-023-00528-z.
Recreational use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) is a public health concern world-wide associated with a range of physical and psychological side effects. Still, people who use AAS tend to be reluctant to seek treatment. This study aims to explore use characteristics, treatment-seeking behaviour, side effects and associated health concerns among men with AAS use.
The study includes cross-sectional self-report data from 90 men with a current or previous use of AAS exceeding 12 months, where 41 (45.6%) had sought treatment at least once during their lifetime, and 49 (54.4%) had not. Health service engagement was examined with descriptive statistics on reasons for contacting health services, transparency about AAS use, satisfaction with health services and reasons for not seeking treatment. Furthermore, experienced side effects and health concerns were compared between the treatment seeking and the non-treatment seeking group, using two-sample t-tests and Chi or Fisher exact tests for numerical and categorical variables, respectively.
All 90 AAS-using men reported side effects from AAS use. Treatment seekers were significantly younger, experienced more side effects including gynecomastia, excessive sweating, fatigue, depression and anxiety, and expressed more concern for testosterone deficiency. Preventive health check-up was the most common reason for seeking treatment (n = 22, 53.7%), and 38 men (93%) were transparent about AAS use during consultations with health professionals. The main reported reasons for not seeking healthcare services were that the experienced side effects were not considered to be of treatment demanding nature (n = 39, 79.6%) and the belief that healthcare providers had scarce knowledge about AAS use and its health impacts (n = 12, 24.5%).
Reluctance to seek treatment among people who use AAS, despite having associated side effects and health concerns, may contribute to continued health risks. It is important to fill the knowledge gap on how to reach and treat this new patient group, and policy makers and treatment providers need to be educated on how to meet their treatment needs.
娱乐性使用合成代谢雄激素类固醇（AAS）是一个全球性的公共卫生关注点，与一系列身体和心理副作用有关。尽管如此，使用 AAS 的人往往不愿意寻求治疗。本研究旨在探讨使用 AAS 的男性的使用特征、寻求治疗的行为、副作用和相关健康问题。
本研究包括来自 90 名当前或过去使用 AAS 超过 12 个月的男性的横断面自我报告数据，其中 41 名（45.6%）一生中至少接受过一次治疗，49 名（54.4%）未接受过治疗。通过描述性统计分析接触卫生服务的原因、AAS 使用的透明度、对卫生服务的满意度以及不寻求治疗的原因，来检查卫生服务的参与情况。此外，使用两样本 t 检验和卡方或 Fisher 确切检验分别比较治疗组和非治疗组的经历过的副作用和健康问题。
所有 90 名使用 AAS 的男性均报告了 AAS 使用的副作用。治疗组的男性明显更年轻，经历了更多的副作用，包括乳房发育、过度出汗、疲劳、抑郁和焦虑，并且对睾丸激素缺乏的担忧更多。预防性健康检查是寻求治疗的最常见原因（n=22，53.7%），38 名男性（93%）在与卫生专业人员的咨询中对 AAS 使用保持透明。不寻求医疗保健服务的主要原因是，所经历的副作用被认为不需要治疗（n=39，79.6%），以及认为医疗保健提供者对 AAS 使用及其对健康的影响知之甚少（n=12，24.5%）。
尽管有相关的副作用和健康问题，但使用 AAS 的人不愿意寻求治疗，这可能会导致持续的健康风险。填补如何接触和治疗这一新患者群体的知识空白非常重要，政策制定者和治疗提供者需要接受如何满足他们的治疗需求的教育。
