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A Review of the Literature on Event-Level Substance Use and Sexual Risk Behavior Among Men Who Have Sex with Men

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Abstract

In the United States, there continues to be high incidence of HIV infection among men who have sex with men (MSM), who represent 57% of new infections in 2009. While many studies report associations between non-injection substance use and sexual risk behavior among MSM, overall results are mixed. Summarizing these studies is difficult because researchers have used a variety of assessment periods for substance use and sexual behavior. We review the scientific literature on event-level measures, which assess substance use and sexual risk behavior immediately before or during a sexual encounter and provide the most precise link between these two behaviors. From January 2009 through March 2010, we searched four databases: Ovid (MEDLINE and PsycINFO), Web of Knowledge, and Sociofile. Across studies, results varied by substance with little within substance consistency or a lack of research except for two notable exceptions: methamphetamine and binge alcohol use. The findings underscore the importance of providing HIV risk-reduction interventions for substance-using MSM.

Resumen

En los Estados Unidos, incidencia alta de la infección por VIH entre los hombres que tienen sexo con hombres (HSH) sigue, y HSH representaron 57% de las infecciones nuevas en 2009. Estudios múltiples han demostrado que asociaciones existe entre el uso de drogas no inyectables y el comportamiento sexual riesgoso entre HSH. Estudios del uso de drogas y del comportamiento sexual han usado tres tipos de evaluacíon (global, circunstancial y nivel del acontecimiento) y han proporcionado resultados variados. Las medidas al nivel del acontecimiento sexual determinan uso de sustancias y comportamiento sexual riesgoso de inmediato antes de o durante el encuentro sexual. Se revsamos la literatura científica acerca de la conexión más precisa entre el uso de drogas y el comportamiento sexual riesgoso, lo cual es evaluacíon al nivel del acontecimiento. Desde enero de 2009 hasta marzo de 2010, buscamos en cuatro bases de datos repetidamente: Ovid (MEDLINE y PsycINFO), Web of Knowledge, y Sociofile. Resumimos la investigación cuantitativa acerca de nivel del acontecimiento, discutimos la consistencia de la evidencia, y recomendamos las direcciones para las investigaciónes futuras. Los resultados subrayan la importancia de proporcionar las intervenciones para la reducción del riesgo por el VIH para HSH que usan drogas.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Grant Colfax, Nicole Crepaz, Julia Deluca, Marie Morgan, Mary Neumann, and Thomas Painter for their input in this project, and greatly appreciate the scientific contributions of the authors and the men who participated in the studies cited in this review.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Mailstop E37, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd NE, Atlanta, GA, 30333, USA

    H. Waverly Vosburgh, Gordon Mansergh & David W. Purcell

  2. Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    H. Waverly Vosburgh & Patrick S. Sullivan

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  1. H. Waverly Vosburgh
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  2. Gordon Mansergh
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  3. Patrick S. Sullivan
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  4. David W. Purcell
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Correspondence to H. Waverly Vosburgh.

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Vosburgh, H.W., Mansergh, G., Sullivan, P.S. et al. A Review of the Literature on Event-Level Substance Use and Sexual Risk Behavior Among Men Who Have Sex with Men. AIDS Behav 16, 1394–1410 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-011-0131-8

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