Party and Play in the Closet? Exploring Club Drug Use Among Swedish Men Who Have Sex With Men

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) is a population that is less frequently the target of drug research in a Scandinavian context.

Objectives: This study aims to explore: (1) the existence of club drug use among a sample of Swedish MSM, and (2) associations between club drug use and sociodemographic, sociosexual, and sexual risk behavior.

Methods: Data were drawn from a larger European study on MSM and HIV but the analytic sample consisted of the 3,004 MSM who resided in Sweden. SPSS 20.0 statistical software was used to perform the analysis. The primary outcome variable was a dichotomous measure of having used club drugs in the past 12 months vs. not. The independent variables were categorized into three domains, sociodemographic, sociosexual, and sexual risk behavior. The analysis was undertaken as a univariable analysis.

Results: Results show that club drug use exists in the Swedish MSM population and is particularly prevalent among gay identified, younger MSM from metropolitan areas, and among men with diagnosed HIV or other STIs. Moreover, club drug use was common among the men that had more sexual partners and took more sexual risks. These men were also more likely to have been diagnosed with an STI.

Conclusions/importance: MSM who use club drugs have to be acknowledged in the Swedish drug policy context, as well as within clinical practice. Further research is needed to develop an understanding of the social and contextual dimensions involved in club drug use among Swedish MSM.