Latent class analysis revealed three classes of YMSM based on their histories of sexualized substance use, which we labelled as ‘alcohol’, ‘poppers’, and ‘chemsex’. Latent class analysis was employed to identify classes with similar patterns of sexualized substance use, and multinomial logistic regression was employed to examine associations between class membership and proxy measures of social capital, including age of sexual debut, bonding and bridging social capital, connectedness to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, and outness. Results of this study were derived from baseline data of the Pink Carpet Y Cohort Study in Singapore, comprising a sample of 570 HIV-negative YMSM aged 18 to 25 years old.
This paper attempts to explore the association between measures of social capital and patterns of sexualized substance use among a sample of YMSM in Singapore. Engaging in chemsex established as a major risk factor for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) acquisition, and is thus a public health issue of increasing urgency.
Young gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (YMSM) are especially vulnerable to the risks associated with sexualized substance use, or ‘chemsex’.
