ssh-chemsex-study-final-main-report

1.4 CHEMSEX IN AN INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT
The majority of studies about drug use and sexual
behaviour seek to understand the link between drug
taking and the risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV.
As stated earlier, this association is complex and still
subject to significant debate. Such research is not often
framed in terms of ‘chemsex’ or ‘party and play’ and is
often narrowly focused on sexual health risk. A small
number of studies that explore drug use during sex on
a more holistic level, including the reasons for initiation
and maintenance and the costs and benefits associated
in the behaviour, have been conducted in the United
States, with several others in UK (Keogh et al, 2009) and
Australia (Hurley & Prestage, 2009). Typically, published
papers focus on specific behaviours associated with
chemsex, such as group-sex activities (Prestage et al,
2009) or have specifically explored chemsex in relation
to HIV status (Nakamura et al, 2009). Using drugs to
enhance sexual experience and reduce sexual inhibitions
is widely reported (e.g. Mattison et al, 2001; Kurtz, 2005;
Bauermeister, 2007), as well as using drugs during sex to
facilitate intimate connections with other men (O’Byrne &
Holmes, 2011). Some research suggests that engagement
in chemsex is seen by some men with diagnosed HIV as
a means of cognitively escaping from the reality of their
HIV status and lessens fears of rejection from sexual
partners (Semple et al, 2002).
1.5 OVERVIEW OF REPORT
Chapter 2 of this report describes the methods used to
address the aims stated above. Chapter 3 provides results
of a detailed, secondary analysis of existing quantitative
data about drug use among gay men. The 2010 European
MSM Internet Survey (EMIS) had large samples of
men living in Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham and
numerous questions relating to drugs taken, time period
of use, and gay social spaces frequented. Chapters 4-8
describe the findings of our in-depth qualitative study
of chemsex among gay men living in the three boroughs
of interest, including 30 one-to-one interviews with gay
men who engage in chemsex, as well as focus groups
with members of the gay community, and interviews
with health and social care providers. Chapter 9 sets out
recommendations for policy and practice in response to
the needs identified.
In chapter 4 we provide three short vignettes that tell
fictional stories of three individuals who experience
chemsex in different ways, and for whom different
interventions may be appropriate. These are composite
narratives, in that they piece together fragments from
several peoples’ stories, providing a more holistic view
of how some men experience and think about chemsex,
while still preserving the anonymity of actual participants.
The Chemsex Study | 1. INTRODUCING CHEMSEX 13