SAFETYLIT WEEKLY UPDATE

We compile citations and summaries of about 400 new articles every week.
RSS Feed

HELP: Tutorials | FAQ
CONTACT US: Contact info

Search Results

Journal Article

Citation

Lamonica A, Boeri M. J. Appl. Soc. Sci. 2015; 9(2): 98-114.

Affiliation

Bentley University, Department of Sociology, Waltham, MA 02452, mboeri@bentley.edu , (781) 891-2438.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1936724414525953

PMID

26279738

PMCID

PMC4532284

Abstract

We propose that female methamphetamine users who live in suburbia experience risks for disease transmission stemming from their social environment that remain under the radar of public health surveillance networks. The data analyzed in this paper were collected from 2007 to 2011 and were drawn from two sequential studies on methamphetamine use. The studies were conducted in the suburbs of a southeastern United States metropolis. We analyzed a total of 65 qualitative interviews with former and active methamphetamine-using women. Data from focus groups also were included in the analysis. The participants' ages ranged from 18 to 51 years. We identified three major themes with regards to risk behaviors and transmission of infectious diseases: (1) setting risk behaviors, such as sharing syringes and homelessness, lack of transportation and unemployment; (2) sexual risk behaviors such as condom use and having multiple partners; and (3) service- related risks, such as risk awareness and prevention behaviors as well as utilization of social services and healthcare. Our findings point to the pervasive nature of social influences on the risk for infectious disease transmission. We suggest that harm reduction programs be implemented in suburban communities to increase access to these services. Secondly, our data support the concept of social recovery for drug users to better their health and social lives holistically.


Language: en

NEW SEARCH


All SafetyLit records are available for automatic download to Zotero & Mendeley
Print