Motivations associated with prescription drug misuse among young men who have sex with men (YMSM)

Background: Prescription drug misuse (i.e. opioids, tranquilizers and stimulants) has become the fastest growing area of substance abuse among young adults. However, there is a lack of literature that focuses specifically on prescription drug misuse among young men who have sex with men (YMSM, aged 18-29). Furthermore, little is known about motives of YMSM and what may bring them to turn to the misuse of prescription pills. The purpose of this study was to explore personal motivators for prescription drug misuse among YMSM, including the possible connection between misuse and sexual behaviors.

Methods: Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with twenty-five YMSM, recruited in Philadelphia from November 2012 to July 2013, who misused prescription drugs in the past 6 months. Thematic analysis of qualitative data was conducted using Atlas.ti.

Results: While there was a considerable overlap of motives for misuse among three classes of prescription drugs, data yielded some distinct motivations for each class. The most commonly cited motives for misuse of prescription opioids included self-medicating to relive the pain, escapism from everyday hardships, and making sexual experiences more pleasurable. The most commonly cited motives for misuse of prescription tranquilizers included stress relief, and facilitating interactions with other MSM in social and sexual situations. A number of different motives were cited for prescription stimulant misuse including enhancing academic achievement, “partying” and engagement in sex.

Conclusions: Our findings offer insights in YMSM’s motivations for prescription drug misuse. Results support the need for developing prevention messages specific to prescription drug misuse among YMSM.