Financial Hardship and Drug Use Among Men Who Have Sex with Men

Overview

Journal Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Psychiatry

Date 2018 May 26

PMID 29793523

Citations 4

Authors

Su Hyun Park

Yazan Al-Ajlouni

Joseph J Palamar

William C Goedel

Anthony Estreet

Brian Elbel

Scott E Sherman

Dustin T Duncan

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Little is known about the role of financial hardship as it relates to drug use, especially among men who have sex with men (MSM). As such, this study aimed to investigate potential associations between financial hardship status and drug use among MSM.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 580 MSM in Paris recruited using a popular geosocial-networking smartphone application (GSN apps). Descriptive analyses and multivariate analyses were performed. A modified Poisson model was used to assess associations between financial hardship status and use of drugs (any drugs, tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, inhalant nitrites, and club drugs).

Results: In our sample, 45.5% reported that it was somewhat, very, or extremely difficult to meet monthly payments of bills (high financial hardship). In multivariate analyses, a high level of financial hardship was significantly associated with an increased likelihood of reporting use of any substance use (adjusted risk ratio [aRR] = 1.15; 95% CI = 1.05-1.27), as well as use of tobacco (aRR = 1.45; 95% CI = 1.19-1.78), marijuana (aRR = 1.48; 95% CI =1.03-2.13), and inhalant nitrites (aRR = 1.24; 95% CI = 1.03-1.50).

Conclusions: Financial hardship was associated with drug use among MSM, suggesting the need for interventions to reduce the burden of financial hardship in this population.

Citing Articles

Reply to: Decrease in prevalence but increase in frequency of non-marijuana drug use following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in a large cohort of young men who have sex with men and young transgender women.

Mitchell N Drug Alcohol Depend. 2021; 228:109034.

PMID: 34521055 PMC: 8431832. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.109034.

Reduced sexual contacts with non-steady partners and less PrEP use among MSM in Belgium during the first weeks of the COVID-19 lockdown: results of an online survey.

Reyniers T, Rotsaert A, Thunissen E, Buffel V, Masquillier C, Van Landeghem E Sex Transm Infect. 2020; 97(6):414-419.

PMID: 33172917 PMC: 7656903. DOI: 10.1136/sextrans-2020-054756.

High financial hardship and mental health burden among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.

Al-Ajlouni Y, Park S, Safren S, Kreski N, Elbel B, Trinidad A J Gay Lesbian Ment Health. 2020; 24(3):308-321.

PMID: 32884610 PMC: 7462116. DOI: 10.1080/19359705.2019.1688217.

Uptake and willingness to use PrEP among Chinese gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men with experience of sexualized drug use in the past year.

Wang Z, Mo P, Ip M, Fang Y, Lau J BMC Infect Dis. 2020; 20(1):299.

PMID: 32321442 PMC: 7178573. DOI: 10.1186/s12879-020-05024-4.

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