Intimate partner violence and substance use risk among young men who have sex with men: The P18 cohort study

Date

2015

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

Abstract

Objectives: Substance use is prevalent among young men who have sex with men (YMSM) and may be associated with intimate partner violence (IPV). Experiences of IPV are associated with several adverse health conditions among adult MSM, but there is a gap in knowledge about this relationship among YMSM which warrants further investigation. Methods: This study employs baseline data from a prospective cohort study to examine lifetime experiences of IPV in relation to substance use in the previous 30 days among n=528 YMSM in New York City from 2009-11. To examine the extent to which IPV (any experiences, victimization, and perpetration) are related to substance use (alcohol, marijuana, stimulant, and other drugs) in the last 30 days, distinct 2-step multinomial logistic regression models, controlling for sociodemographic differences, were constructed. Results: 44.3% reported lifetime IPV experience, with 39.2% of reporting victimization and 30.5% reporting perpetration. IPV is associated with a 1.6 increased odds of 2 or more instances of alcohol use, a 1.6–1.8 increased odds of 2 or more instances of marijuana use, a 1.8–2.5 increased odds of 2 or more instances of stimulant use, and a 4.1–6.1 increased odds of 2 or more instances of other substance use. Conclusion: Findings highlight the strong association between IPV and increased frequency of substance use among YMSM and provide support that violence may exist as part of a syndemic facing YMSM. Prevention and intervention strategies may be improved by addressing substance use in the context of IPV and other related health challenges. (Author Abstract)

Description

Keywords

LGBTQ, youth, risk factors, victimization, research

Citation

Stults, Christopher B. ; Javdani, Shabnam ; Greenbaum, Chloe A. ; Kapadia, Farzana ; Halkitis, Perry N. (2015). Intimate partner violence and substance use risk among young men who have sex with men: The P18 cohort study. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 154, 54-62.

DOI