Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Misuse Among Sexual Minority Male Adolescents: A Scoping Review

Sexual minority male adolescents experience disproportionate health risks compared to heterosexual peers, yet anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) misuse in this population remains understudied. This scoping review aimed to synthesize existing literature on AAS misuse among sexual minority male adolescents.

This scoping review was guided by Joanna Briggs Institute methods and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Scoping Review extension. In September 2025 and April 2026, PubMed, EMBASE, and APA PsycInfo were searched without date limits. Eligible studies were peer-reviewed, original research published in English that examined AAS misuse among sexual minority male adolescents. For each included study, authorship, publication year, study location, data source, sample size and demographics, measures of sexual orientation, measures of AAS misuse, and key findings were charted.

Seven studies met the inclusion criteria, five of which relied on Youth Risk Behavior Survey data collected between 2005 and 2015. Across studies, sexual minority male adolescents consistently reported higher AAS misuse than heterosexual male adolescents, with particularly elevated prevalence among Black and Hispanic/Latino youth.

The literature on AAS misuse among sexual minority male adolescents is limited and largely dependent on older surveillance data. Although misuse appears to have declined over time, prevalence remains elevated, especially among racial and ethnic subgroups. Future research should prioritize updated survey statistics and incorporate qualitative and thematic approaches to better characterize the influences shaping AAS misuse among sexual minority male adolescents.