title: Circumstances, pedagogy and rationales for injection initiation among new drug injectors.
abstract: Injection drug use is especially risky for new injectors. To understand the social and environmental contexts in which risks occur, we interviewed individuals who had initiated injection within the past 3 years (n = 146, 69.2% male) about the circumstances and rationales for their initial injection events. Respondents typically initiated injection due to tolerance (49.3%) and/or for experimentation (61.1%). Most (86.2%) did not possess the technical skills required to self-inject, and relied on the assistance of someone older (58.5%). While low levels of syringe sharing (5.8%) were reported, a majority of respondents (60.5%) engaged in at least one type of behavioral risk. Female injectors were more likely than male injectors to rely on another individual (95.5 vs. 82.2%), often a sex partner (40.5 vs. 7.2%), for assistance. The diversity seen in early injection practices highlights the need for tailored prevention messages to reach this population prior to the onset of injection risk.
authors.affiliation: Institute for International Research on Youth at Risk, National Development and Research Institutes, Inc, 71 West 23rd Street, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10010, USA. lloyd.goldsamt@ndri.org
authors.forename: Lloyd A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Goldsamt
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Harocopos
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kobrak
authors.forename: John J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Jost
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Clatts
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D002755:Choice Behavior; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D016485:Needle Sharing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009519:New York City; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012737:Sex Factors; D012931:Social Environment; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult