Psychosocial Mechanisms of Methamphetamine Use Among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men: An Integrated Theoretical Approach

I proposed an integrated theoretical model as a framework to examine psychosocial factors associated with gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men’s (GBM) methamphetamine use and problematic methamphetamine use. The proposed model was estimated using structural equation modeling among 2449 GBM. The model was good fit for the data among the HIV negative GBM and GBM living with HIV subsamples. Heterosexist discrimination and childhood sexual abuse were associated with psychological distress. In turn, psychological distress was associated methamphetamine use in the past six months indirectly through cognitive escape and sexual compulsivity (HIV negative subsample only). Findings demonstrate the utility of integrating minority stress theory and other models into treatment models for methamphetamine using GBM. More specifically, the results support the need for GBM-specific interventions that address heterosexism and provide adaptive coping strategies to prevent and reduce the harms of methamphetamine use.