Perspectives on chemsex

Abstract

Chemsex is a practice that sits at the intersection of substance use and sexuality, which is predominantly reported by men who have sex with men. Understanding the sociodynamics of chemsex is important for developing public health interventions.

The ANRS-PaacX study was undertaken to improve understanding of chemsex. In this study, the perspectives of different stakeholders, namely people with chemsex experience, clinicians and community health workers, were gathered and key themes in participants’ discourses on chemsex were identified using lexical analysis. The study had two main objectives: to encapsulate and articulate various perspectives and experiences regarding chemsex to improve understanding of the multifaceted nature of this phenomenon; and to scrutinize disparities and commonalities to identify key elements shaping care practices and health outcomes. A multi-level framework in which four distinct levels of analysis in social psychology (intrapersonal, situational or contextual, positional, and ideological) are outlined was used.