NCJ Number
196930
Journal
Addiction Volume: 97 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2002 Pages: 1003-1009
Editor(s)
Susan Savva
Date Published
August 2002
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This study presents a descriptive analysis of the circumstances surrounding first drug injection among street youth in Montreal.
Abstract
In January 1995, a cohort study was conducted to determine the evolution of HIV risk behaviors among street youth. This study analyzed and described the circumstances of the first drug injection among these street youth in Montreal, as reported by cohort participants having ever injected drugs. It focused on practices that presented an increased risk of bloodborne infections transmission at the time of first injection and the reasons why street youth injected drugs for the first time. Participants in the analysis were recruited between January 1995 and May 2000 and reported having injected at least once. Participants completed a series of questions related to their first drug injection. Results indicated that close friends and acquaintances played a major role in the initiation of drug injection which was consistent with other studies. More girls than boys relied on others for their first injection, mainly close friends and acquaintances. The overall proportion of youth reporting injecting with a clean needle at first injection was high. However, significantly more girls than boys reported unsafe injection practices at first injection. It was observed that first-time heroin injectors were more likely than cocaine first-time injectors to be with a lover and to be injected by a lover or a close friend at first injection. The most common reason reported for first injecting was curiosity. It is recommended that future research on the social conditions and individual factors that predispose youth to initiation into injection be explored to aid in designing prevention interventions. References