Sex, drugs and social connectedness: Wellbeing among HIV-positive gay and bisexual men who use party-and-play drugs
© 2018 CSIRO. Background This paper explores associations between use of party-and-play drugs, including crystal methamphetamine, and wellbeing among HIV positive gay and bisexual men (GBM) in Australia. This study considers whether use of drugs in a social or sex-based setting facilitates access t...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Published: |
C S I R O Publishing
2018
|
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/67995 |
| _version_ | 1848761713858445312 |
|---|---|
| author | Power, J. Mikolajczak, G. Bourne, A. Brown, Graham Leonard, W. Lyons, A. Dowsett, G. Lucke, J. |
| author_facet | Power, J. Mikolajczak, G. Bourne, A. Brown, Graham Leonard, W. Lyons, A. Dowsett, G. Lucke, J. |
| author_sort | Power, J. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | © 2018 CSIRO. Background This paper explores associations between use of party-and-play drugs, including crystal methamphetamine, and wellbeing among HIV positive gay and bisexual men (GBM) in Australia. This study considers whether use of drugs in a social or sex-based setting facilitates access to social and support networks, which may in turn support wellbeing. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of Australian people living with HIV (PLHIV) was conducted. There were 714 participants (79.7%) who identified as GBM. Differences between party-and-play drug users and non-users were examined using bivariate and multinomial logistic regressions. Mediation analysis examined the indirect effect of drug use on wellbeing via social connectedness and support. Results: One in three participants (29.7%) reported party-and-play drug use within the past 12 months. Only 5% reported regular use. There were no differences between users and non-users on self-reported measures of general health, wellbeing or general social support. Compared with non-users, party-and-play drug users reported higher levels of resilience and lower levels of perceived HIV-related stigma. This was associated with spending more time with other people living with HIV and friends in the gay and lesbian community. Conclusions: While party-and-play drug use poses risks to the health of GBM, the social contexts in which these drugs are used may provide wellbeing benefits, particularly for HIV-positive GBM who may be subject to HIV-related stigma in other settings. Further research is needed to determine whether drug-use facilitates access to social networks or if people with more active social ties are more likely to engage in drug use. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T10:36:03Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-67995 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T10:36:03Z |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publisher | C S I R O Publishing |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-679952018-05-18T08:06:38Z Sex, drugs and social connectedness: Wellbeing among HIV-positive gay and bisexual men who use party-and-play drugs Power, J. Mikolajczak, G. Bourne, A. Brown, Graham Leonard, W. Lyons, A. Dowsett, G. Lucke, J. © 2018 CSIRO. Background This paper explores associations between use of party-and-play drugs, including crystal methamphetamine, and wellbeing among HIV positive gay and bisexual men (GBM) in Australia. This study considers whether use of drugs in a social or sex-based setting facilitates access to social and support networks, which may in turn support wellbeing. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of Australian people living with HIV (PLHIV) was conducted. There were 714 participants (79.7%) who identified as GBM. Differences between party-and-play drug users and non-users were examined using bivariate and multinomial logistic regressions. Mediation analysis examined the indirect effect of drug use on wellbeing via social connectedness and support. Results: One in three participants (29.7%) reported party-and-play drug use within the past 12 months. Only 5% reported regular use. There were no differences between users and non-users on self-reported measures of general health, wellbeing or general social support. Compared with non-users, party-and-play drug users reported higher levels of resilience and lower levels of perceived HIV-related stigma. This was associated with spending more time with other people living with HIV and friends in the gay and lesbian community. Conclusions: While party-and-play drug use poses risks to the health of GBM, the social contexts in which these drugs are used may provide wellbeing benefits, particularly for HIV-positive GBM who may be subject to HIV-related stigma in other settings. Further research is needed to determine whether drug-use facilitates access to social networks or if people with more active social ties are more likely to engage in drug use. 2018 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/67995 10.1071/SH17151 C S I R O Publishing restricted |
| spellingShingle | Power, J. Mikolajczak, G. Bourne, A. Brown, Graham Leonard, W. Lyons, A. Dowsett, G. Lucke, J. Sex, drugs and social connectedness: Wellbeing among HIV-positive gay and bisexual men who use party-and-play drugs |
| title | Sex, drugs and social connectedness: Wellbeing among HIV-positive gay and bisexual men who use party-and-play drugs |
| title_full | Sex, drugs and social connectedness: Wellbeing among HIV-positive gay and bisexual men who use party-and-play drugs |
| title_fullStr | Sex, drugs and social connectedness: Wellbeing among HIV-positive gay and bisexual men who use party-and-play drugs |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sex, drugs and social connectedness: Wellbeing among HIV-positive gay and bisexual men who use party-and-play drugs |
| title_short | Sex, drugs and social connectedness: Wellbeing among HIV-positive gay and bisexual men who use party-and-play drugs |
| title_sort | sex, drugs and social connectedness: wellbeing among hiv-positive gay and bisexual men who use party-and-play drugs |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/67995 |