title: Correlates and contexts of US injection drug initiation among undocumented Mexican migrant men who were deported from the United States.
abstract: Preventing the onset of injection drug use is important in controlling the spread of HIV and other blood borne infections. Undocumented migrants in the United States face social, economic, and legal stressors that may contribute to substance abuse. Little is known about undocumented migrants' drug abuse trajectories including injection initiation. To examine the correlates and contexts of US injection initiation among undocumented migrants, we administered quantitative surveys (N = 309) and qualitative interviews (N = 23) on migration and drug abuse experiences to deported male injection drug users in Tijuana, Mexico. US injection initiation was independently associated with ever using drugs in Mexico pre-migration, younger age at first US migration, and US incarceration. Participants' qualitative interviews contextualized quantitative findings and demonstrated the significance of social contexts surrounding US injection initiation experiences. HIV prevention programs may prevent/delay US injection initiation by addressing socio-economic and migration-related stressors experienced by undocumented migrants.
authors.affiliation: Division of Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California, La Jolla, San Diego, 92093-0507, USA.
authors.forename: Angela M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.forename: Remedios
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lozada
authors.forename: Robin A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Pollini
authors.forename: Gudelia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rangel
authors.forename: Victoria D
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: Ojeda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology*; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D011330:Prisons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012307:Risk Factors; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States