TY - JOUR
T1 - Polydrug Use Typologies of Regular Ecstasy Users Visiting Electronic Dance Music Events
T2 - A Latent Class Analysis
AU - van Beek, Ruben Johannes Jacob
AU - Blankers, Matthijs
AU - Kleinjan, Marloes
AU - Waldron, Jon
AU - Grabski, Meryem
AU - Freeman, Tom
AU - Curran, Valerie
AU - van der Pol, Peggy
AU - van Laar, Margriet
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 S. Karger AG, Basel.
PY - 2024/2
Y1 - 2024/2
N2 - INTRODUCTION: Polydrug use patterns among young adults using ecstasy vary, as well as their willingness to change them. Polydrug use patterns are likely associated with different adverse health outcomes. It is unknown whether polydrug use patterns of young adults who use ecstasy are similar in different countries. This study aims to identify and compare polydrug use patterns and willingness to change them of young adults that use ecstasy in the United Kingdom (UK) and the Netherlands (NL), two countries with a high prevalence of ecstasy use and a large electronic dance music (EDM) scene.METHODS: The data from the online cross-sectional Electronic Music Scene Survey were used in a latent class analysis. The binary indicators used in the estimation were past-year substance use of 21 different substances. The sample consisted of young adult ecstasy users that regularly visit EDM events (age 18-34).RESULTS: A total of 1,077 respondents from the UK (age M = 23.1) and 1,178 from the NL (age M = 23.7) that regularly visit EDM events were included in the analyses. In both countries, three polydrug use patterns of ecstasy users were identified based on Bayesian Information Criterion fit indices: a traditional polydrug use class (UK: 28%; NL: 40%), a stimulant and ketamine polydrug use class (UK: 48%; NL: 52%), and an extensive polydrug use class (UK: 24%; NL: 8%) characterized by substantial use of stimulants, depressant, and psychedelic substances. Overall, young adults that used ecstasy in the UK consumed 3,4-methylenedioxymeth-amphetamine (MDMA) more often as powder/crystalline and at higher dosages compared to young adults in the NL who preferred MDMA tablets. Regardless of polydrug class or country, most respondents indicated that they had the intention to reduce but not quit their use.CONCLUSION: In both countries, structurally similar polydrug use patterns among young adults that use ecstasy were found, while the use frequencies of individual substances and preferred MDMA form varied between the countries.
AB - INTRODUCTION: Polydrug use patterns among young adults using ecstasy vary, as well as their willingness to change them. Polydrug use patterns are likely associated with different adverse health outcomes. It is unknown whether polydrug use patterns of young adults who use ecstasy are similar in different countries. This study aims to identify and compare polydrug use patterns and willingness to change them of young adults that use ecstasy in the United Kingdom (UK) and the Netherlands (NL), two countries with a high prevalence of ecstasy use and a large electronic dance music (EDM) scene.METHODS: The data from the online cross-sectional Electronic Music Scene Survey were used in a latent class analysis. The binary indicators used in the estimation were past-year substance use of 21 different substances. The sample consisted of young adult ecstasy users that regularly visit EDM events (age 18-34).RESULTS: A total of 1,077 respondents from the UK (age M = 23.1) and 1,178 from the NL (age M = 23.7) that regularly visit EDM events were included in the analyses. In both countries, three polydrug use patterns of ecstasy users were identified based on Bayesian Information Criterion fit indices: a traditional polydrug use class (UK: 28%; NL: 40%), a stimulant and ketamine polydrug use class (UK: 48%; NL: 52%), and an extensive polydrug use class (UK: 24%; NL: 8%) characterized by substantial use of stimulants, depressant, and psychedelic substances. Overall, young adults that used ecstasy in the UK consumed 3,4-methylenedioxymeth-amphetamine (MDMA) more often as powder/crystalline and at higher dosages compared to young adults in the NL who preferred MDMA tablets. Regardless of polydrug class or country, most respondents indicated that they had the intention to reduce but not quit their use.CONCLUSION: In both countries, structurally similar polydrug use patterns among young adults that use ecstasy were found, while the use frequencies of individual substances and preferred MDMA form varied between the countries.
KW - Ecstasy
KW - Electronic dance music
KW - Latent class analysis
KW - Nightlife
KW - Polydrug use
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85184304207&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1159/000534487
DO - 10.1159/000534487
M3 - Article
C2 - 38154456
SN - 1022-6877
VL - 30
SP - 52
EP - 64
JO - European Addiction Research
JF - European Addiction Research
IS - 1
ER -