Factors associated with the practice of Chemsex in Portugal during the COVID-19 pandemic

• Autor(a) principal: Chone, Jeremias Salomão
• Data de Publicação: 2020
• Outros Autores: Lima, Shirley Verônica Melo Almeida, Fronteira, Inês, Mendes, Isabel Amélia Costa, Shaaban, Ahmed Nabil, Martins, Maria do Rosário Oliveira, de Sousa, Alvaro Francisco
• Tipo de documento: preprint
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: SciELO Preprints
• Texto Completo: https://preprints.scielo.org/index.php/scielo/preprint/view/1524
• topic: Minorias Sexuais e de Gênero; Infecções por Coronavirus; Coronavirus; Pandemias; Comportamento Sexual; Drogas Ilícitas; Sexual and Gender Minorities; Coronavirus Infections; Coronavirus; Pandemics; Sexual Behavior; Illicit Drugs

Objective: To investigate the factors associated with the practice of sex under the effect of drugs (chemsex), among men who have sex with Portuguese men during a period of social distance by COVID-19. Method: Online survey applied to a sample of 1301 participants residing in Portugal, recruited by Respondent Driven Sampling method adapted to the virtual environment. Descriptive, bivariate analysis and logistic regression were performed to calculate the adjusted Odds ratio (ORa). Results: The prevalence of chemsex practice was 20.2%. The chance of practicing chemsex increased with the practice of group sex (ORa: 28.35, 95% CI 16.93 - 47.49); sex without using a condom (ORa: 7.09 95% CI 4.57 - 10.99); Use PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) as a protective measure for COVID-19 (ORa: 4.16, 95% CI 2.71 - 6.39) and; with testing for COVID-19 (ORa: 1.89, 95% CI 1.15 - 3.10). Conclusions: The practice of chemsex among men who have sex with men in the period of the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal was high and can provide subsidies to understand the role and impact that sexual relations have in the current pandemic situation of COVID-19 in the country.