How consent is constructed and negotiated by men who have sex with men
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring how consent is constructed and negotiated by men who have sex with men (MSM) in Chemsex encounters.
IRAS ID
209846
Contact name
Roshan dasNair
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 2 months, 1 days
Research summary
‘Chemsex’ is the engagement in sexual activities whilst under the influence of drugs that can enhance sexual experience. Chemsex activity has been shown to be higher amongst those who test positive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) than those who test negative and the use of newer club drugs have become more associated with higher HIV risk (i.e. unprotected sex), than other drugs. Both HIV risk and the use of newer club drugs are associated with Chemsex. Despite this, Chemsex appears to be a consensual sexual activity. But, there may be times when people have difficulties in deciding what they want or do not want to occur after they have taken drugs. This can be a problem for some people. So far, research has not dealt with the issue of consent in any depth in this context. Therefore, we are unsure as to whether people discuss these issues before sex, or during sex, and how people discuss them. To explore consent during Chemsex encounters, we plan to use semi-structured interviews with men who have sex with men (MSM) who have reportedly engaged in recreational drug use for sexual purposes before. The aim of this study is to explore and understand how MSM discuss what they want and do not want to happen during Chemsex.This will particularly include the language used to discuss consent also. This research could be utilized by sexual health services to encourage service users who are concerned about Chemsex to spot the risks and will provide insight into what should or could be negotiated for a better and safer Chemsex experience.
REC name
East Midlands - Leicester Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/EM/0280
Date of REC Opinion
25 Jul 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion