Marijuana Use, Sexual Behaviors, and Prevalent Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Sexually Experienced Males and Females in the United States: Findings From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys

Substance abuse and male sexual dysfunction: what lies beneath?

INTRODUCTION

Substance abuse has become a worldwide health problem, leading to numerous consequences such as social problems among family members, abnormal behavior, adverse health effects, and psychological problems as well as economic consequences.

OBJECTIVES

We sought to assess the relationship between substance abuse and male sexual health.

METHODS

A search was carried out in the following databases: PubMed, MeSH (Medical Subject Headings), Science Direct, Scopus, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, CINAHL, Academic Search Complete, and the Egyptian Knowledge Bank. The following keywords were used to assess the outcomes for relevant associations: illicit drugs, addiction, substance abuse, sexual health, erectile dysfunction, ejaculatory disorders, impotence, orgasm disorders, and sexual performance.

RESULTS

The initial literature search identified a total of 148 articles in all searched databases. After removal of duplicate studies and application of inclusion/exclusion criteria, 75 reported studies were retained for review, including 38 case-control studies and 37 cross-sectional studies. These articles were classified into the following categories according to the type of abused substance addressed: cannabis/marihuana, 16 articles; opioids, 13 articles; heroin, 11 articles; cocaine, 5 articles; tramadol, 6 articles; ketamine, 2 articles; ecstasy, 4 articles; amphetamine, 2 articles; khat, 7 articles; androgen anabolic steroids, 2 articles; and polydrugs, 7 articles. Most of these recruited articles demonstrated a negative impact of the addressed substance on male sexual health, with variable levels.

CONCLUSION

Substance abuse has negative impacts on male sexual health that should be addressed. More studies conducted with proper methodological and statistical approaches, including logistic regression analysis, are needed to predict the effects of specific substances, considering the rapidly growing effects of non-substance-use disorders on male sexual health.

Cannabis use disorder severity and sleep quality among undergraduates attending a Historically Black University

Nearly one third of Americans experience poor sleep, which is associated with numerous deleterious health outcomes. Poor sleep may be exacerbated when an individual attends college, as they experience drastic shifts in lifestyle and sleep patterns. Previous research suggests cannabis has therapeutic potential for sleep disorders but may also impair sleep quality long-term. However, no study has examined the differences in sleep quality within individuals who meet criteria for Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD). The purpose of the current study was to determine differences in sleep quality among undergraduate students who met criteria for mild CUD (n = 18), moderate CUD (n = 22), severe CUD (n = 16) and students who did not meet criteria for CUD (n = 244). Participants included 300 predominantly Black/African American undergraduate students (79% female), aged between 18 and 25 years. Each participant completed an online survey that included measures assessing sleep quality and CUD criteria. Employing analysis of covariance, the moderate CUD subgroup (M = 9.00, SD = 3.32) reported poorer sleep quality than individuals who did not meet criteria for CUD (M = 6.93, SD = 3.03). Interestingly, the severe CUD subgroup (M = 6.75, SD = 2.52) reported similar sleep quality to individuals who did not meet criteria for CUD (M = 6.93, SD = 3.03). Individuals meeting criteria for mild and moderate CUD reported the poorest sleep quality among the groups, suggesting a differentiation within CUD severity. Future research should assess withdrawal and cannabis use frequency among individuals who meet criteria for CUD to further elucidate disturbances in sleep quality among those with CUD.

Risky Sexual Practices, Sexually Transmitted Infections, Motivations, and Mental Health among Heterosexual Women and Men Who Practice Sexualized Drug Use in Spain

Sexualized drug use (SDU) has been poorly studied among heterosexuals. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the prevalence of and gender differences in types of substances, risky sexual practices, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), motivations, and psychological adjustment among heterosexual women and men who engage in SDU. The study sample consisted of 1181 heterosexuals (795 women) between 18 and 78 years old (mean age = 24.4, SD = 7.4). Approximately 12% of the participants had engaged in SDU. No differences were found in the prevalence of SDU between men and women. Alcohol, cannabis, and 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) were the substances most frequently used for sexual purposes. Men were significantly more likely to use MDMA, ecstasy, cocaine, and erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs, and they tended to have more sexual partners than women. Likewise, SDU was related to have more sexual partners, penetrative sex without a condom, practice a fetish, be diagnosed with syphilis, chlamydia, and others STIs, and present more depression symptoms (but not with more anxiety). In conclusion, SDU was associated with poorer physical and mental health. It is, therefore, necessary to design programs aimed at reducing the incidence of the consequences of SDU on the physical and mental health of both men and women. Moreover, programs that seek to understand why these individuals engage in SDU should be undertaken.

Characteristics of Pregnant Women with Syphilis and Factors Associated with Congenital Syphilis at a Chicago Hospital

Background

Congenital syphilis incidence has more than tripled in recent years, in parallel with the resurgence of syphilis among reproductive-aged women. An understanding of risk factors associated with maternal syphilis infection can guide prevention of congenital syphilis through prenatal diagnosis and treatment. We aimed to describe factors associated with maternal syphilis and congenital syphilis at a public medical center in Chicago, Illinois.

Methods

Maternal syphilis diagnoses were identified using a database for local health department reporting. Medical records were reviewed for infant congenital syphilis diagnoses, sociodemographic information, medical history, and other behavioral factors. Maternal characteristics associated with congenital syphilis were assessed using logistic regression.

Results

Of 106 maternal syphilis diagnoses between 2014 and 2018, 76 (72%) had a known pregnancy outcome; of these, 8 (11%) delivered an infant with congenital syphilis. Women with psychiatric illness and noninjection substance use each had a >5-fold increased odds of having an infant with congenital syphilis. Cases with congenital syphilis were more likely to have late or scant prenatal care and initiated treatment nearly 3 months later in pregnancy. None were human immunodeficiency virus positive or reported incarceration, intravenous substance use, sex work, or having sex with men who have sex with men.

Conclusions

Maternal psychiatric illness and substance use may have complicated prenatal care and delayed syphilis treatment, describing a population in need of public health intervention. Women experiencing such barriers to care may benefit from closer follow-up after a prenatal syphilis diagnosis to prevent congenital transmission.

A perspective review of cannabis use and sexual offenses

Substance abuse is an established risk factor for crime and violence, including sexual violence. Nevertheless, the link between cannabis use and sexual offenses remains poorly understood. Cannabis use has a broad effect on sexual functioning and can have both acute and lasting adverse effects on psychological functioning, which in turn can elevate the risk of sexual offending behavior. Yet there is a scarcity of studies that have examined the link between cannabis use and sexual offending. To help fill the gap, this perspective review investigates the link between substance use and crime with a particular emphasis on cannabis use and its effects on sexual and psychological functioning. It then explores how these mechanisms may contribute to sexual offenses and recidivism, with a final discussion on how cannabis use should be conceptualized as a risk factor for sexual violence.

Sexual behaviors, cannabis, alcohol and monkeypox infection

The emergence of the monkeypox virus (MPXV) outbreak in 2022 is a worldwide health issue. The rapid increase of monkeypox cases caused the WHO to designate the escalating global monkeypox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on July 23, 2022. The WHO has called on the group currently most affected by the virus, men who have sex with men (MSM), to limit their sexual partners. The diminution in number of sexual partners not only decreases the proportion of infected MSM but could also increases the number of days needed to reach a given infection level among the general population. Several behavioral factors could be associated with high levels of different sexual partners, such as cannabis use and alcohol consumption. Firstly, this review focuses on the association between cannabis and alcohol consumption and the number of sexual partners, and their possible impact on the current MPXV outbreak by impairing the immune responses. Secondly, this review investigated in the UK Biobank cohort the relationship between alcohol and cannabis use and the number of sexual partners. Among the 115,604 participants, 1.8% declared to be MSM, 1.9% to be WSW (women having sex with women), 43.3% men heterosexuals and 53.0% women heterosexuals. MSM and WSW showed higher lifetime sexual partners (N = 17.4 (SD:17.52) and N = 13.65 (SD: 13.21), respectively) compared to heterosexual men (N = 6.89 (SD: 9.47) and women (N = 5.19 (SD:6.56), p < 0.001. After adjustment for age, body mass index, lifetime sexual activity, educational and income levels, tobacco and cardiovascular diseases, cannabis use and alcohol consumption remained significantly associated with increase in the number of different sexual partners in all four subgroups. Thus, cannabis use and alcohol consumption may have two detrimental effects on the MPXV outbreak: by participating in the increase of the number of sexual partners which are mainly responsible for the augmentation of the number of new MPXV infected cases and by impairing the immune response to a viral infection. Health and safety policies should address the factors and practices, including chemsex, leading to an increase in risk of sexual behaviors responsible for MPXV dissemination in the worldwide population.