How loneliness affects drug use and HIV risk in gay and bisexual men
Official title: Dissecting the role of loneliness on substance use- and HIV-related outcomes among sexual minority men in the United States and Canada
Funded at Columbia University Health Sciences · NIH-11367303 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether feeling lonely contributes to using multiple drugs and to HIV-related risks among gay, bisexual, and other sexual minority men in the United States and Canada.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Columbia University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $51,655 |
| NIH project number | 5R36DA061635-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11367303 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are gay, bisexual, and other sexual minority men living in the United States or Canada who experience loneliness or who use alcohol or other drugs.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not sexual minority men, who do not use substances, or whose health concerns are unrelated to loneliness may not get direct benefit from this work.
What this research studies
You would be part of work that checks whether loneliness helps explain why some sexual minority men use multiple substances or face higher HIV-related risks. The team will collect and analyze survey data and existing datasets from men in the US and Canada, looking at self-reported loneliness, patterns of substance use, and HIV-related outcomes. They may also examine social networks and compare people over time to see which social factors link to drug use and HIV risk. The goal is to identify changeable social drivers that could guide support and prevention efforts.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could point to social and mental-health targets to reduce polysubstance use, overdoses, and new HIV infections among sexual minority men.
How similar studies have gone: Previous qualitative studies hint at a link between loneliness and non-fatal overdose, but systematic, cross-national work on loneliness, polysubstance use, and HIV risk among sexual minority men is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Columbia University Health Sciences
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Marziali, Megan Elyssa — Columbia University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Marziali, Megan Elyssa
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.