Citation

Muschialli L, Yang JC, Engstrom T, Puljević C, Beltazar E, Beltazar E, Siddique O, Ferris J, Connolly DJ. J. Psychoactive Drugs 2024; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, Haight-Ashbury Publications in association with the Haight-Ashbury Free Medical Clinic)

DOI

10.1080/02791072.2024.2367614

PMID

38961638

Abstract

Sexualized drug use (SDU) describes drug-facilitated sexual enhancement, and chemsex is an SDU subculture involving the use of specific drugs by men who have sex with men (MSM). This study aimed to identify research trends, foci, and themes within the SDU and chemsex-specific literature. The Web of Science Core Collection was searched with a list of SDU synonyms. All SDU-related articles were analyzed using the R package, bibliometrix. Full text review identified chemsex-specific records, and text was extracted verbatim for content analysis in Leximancer. The search returned 1,866 unique records. A total of 521 addressed SDU, and 301 papers specifically addressed chemsex. The small but growing SDU literature primarily addressed consensual encounters between MSM, and drug-facilitated assault experienced by women, in Western settings. Little attention was given to transgender communities or consensual SDU in cisgender heterosexual individuals. The literature primarily viewed SDU through a public health lens, specifically focusing on the risk conferred to sexual health.The SDU and chemsex-specific literature are potentially limited in scope and may inadequately capture the geographical, demographic, and cultural diversity of these phenomena. Future research should address the myriad social and health implications of SDU and chemsex participation across all relevant communities and settings.

Language: en

Keywords

sexual health; content analysis; bibliometric; chemsex; alcohol and drugs; sexualized drug use