NCJ Number
213181
Journal
Substance Use & Misuse Volume: 41 Issue: 2 Dated: 2006 Pages: 245-254
Date Published
2006
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study explored factors related to thoughts of suicide and examined the proposition that injection drug users (IDUs) would be more likely to have suicidal thoughts than noninjection drug users (NIDUs).
Abstract
Results indicated that 31 percent of the IDUs in the sample had thoughts of suicide compared to just 14 percent of NIDUs. When age, gender, and race were taken into account, IDUs were 2.4 times more likely than NIDUs to have had suicidal thoughts. However, IDU status was no longer significantly associated with suicidal thoughts after adjusting for homelessness, depressive symptoms, and sexual orientation. Given these findings, it appears that factors related to IDU lifestyle and mental health status may account for the higher rate of suicidal thoughts among IDUs compared to NIDUs. Participants were 244 IDUs and 73 NIDUs aged 15 to 30 years who had been using heroin or crack or had been injecting drugs during the past 5 years. Participants were recruited via street-based, targeted outreach between August 2000 and March 2002 in Baltimore, MD for the Risk Evaluation and Community Health (REACH II) study, which focused on the factors related to the transition to injection drug use, risk behaviors, and the acquisition of bloodborne pathogens among IDUs. Participants completed a baseline questionnaire that measured demographic information, past and current drug use, sexual history, depressive symptoms, and suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts. Analysis techniques included chi-squared and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. Follow-up studies should investigate the etiology of suicidal behavior among community drug users. Tables, references