Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Dec 1:181:170-176.
doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.10.003. Epub 2017 Oct 18.

Anabolic steroid use among gay and bisexual men living in Australia and New Zealand: Associations with demographics, body dissatisfaction, eating disorder psychopathology, and quality of life

Scott Griffiths  1 , Stuart B Murray  2 , Matthew Dunn  3 , Aaron J Blashill  4
Affiliations

Anabolic steroid use among gay and bisexual men living in Australia and New Zealand: Associations with demographics, body dissatisfaction, eating disorder psychopathology, and quality of life

Scott Griffiths et al. Drug Alcohol Depend. .

Abstract

Background and aims: Gay and bisexual men may be at heightened risk for using anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS). Few studies, however, have examined AAS use among gay and bisexual men living in countries outside the United States. In addition, few studies have explored the potential associations of AAS use with body image concerns beyond muscularity, including height and genitals, or with eating disorder symptoms and quality of life. Thus, we examined the associations of AAS use, and of thoughts about using AAS, with body image, eating disorder symptoms, and quality of life among gay and bisexual men living in Australia and New Zealand.

Methods: A sample of 2733 gay and bisexual men completed an online survey promoted by paid nationwide advertisements to users of geosocial-networking smartphone applications.

Results: The prevalence of AAS use, and of thoughts about using AAS, were 5.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.4%, 6.1%) and 25.4% (95% CI: 23.8%, 27.1%), respectively. Multivariate analyses revealed that more frequent thoughts about using AAS were associated with being older, taller, and experiencing greater dissatisfaction with muscularity and height, less dissatisfaction with body fat, greater eating disorder symptoms, and lower subjective quality of life. Actual AAS users were more likely to be older, from a non-Australian/New Zealander cultural background, experiencing less dissatisfaction with body fat, and experiencing greater eating disorder symptoms.

Conclusions: Psychopathology related to body image and eating disorders are associated with AAS use among gay and bisexual men living in Australia and New Zealand.

Keywords: Anabolic steroids; Body image; Eating disorders; Gay and bisexual men; LGBTQ; Sexual orientation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Substances