Interventions to address substance use and sexual risk among gay, bisexual, men who have sex with men who use methamphetamine: A systematic review.
Methamphetamine use is common in some subcultures of the gay, bi, men who have sex with men (GBMSM) communities. This review explored types of interventions for methamphetamine and sex-related harm for GBMSM.
The researchers reviewed seven research databases. The interventions are categorized in these three topics: pharmacological, psychosocial, and harm reduction from the hundreds of studies reviewed. The highlights of this review explored effective interventions for meth use and sexual risks. In the review there “22 studies reported a statistically significant effect” on methamphetamine outcomes. Additionally, 18 studies had a significant effect on sexual health outcomes, and 15 affected both drug and sexual health outcomes.
The psychosocial intervention was most effective, and pharmaceuticals have limited efficacy for addressing meth and sexual risk. There is limited research for harm reduction interventions used for meth and sexual risk. The review suggested various interventions, such as distributing harm kits within sexual health care services and programs.
In conclusion, the review found evidence-based information that integrating interventions are more efficacious to manage meth use and sexual risks for GBMSM.
