From "Kickeando las malias" (kicking the withdrawals) to "Staying clean": The impact of cultural values on cessation of injection drug use in aging Mexican-American men.
Drug use among older adults is a growing concern, particularly for the burgeoning Hispanic population. Older adults seeking drug treatment will double over the next decade to almost 6 million. Cultural factors influence drug use, and more specifically, Hispanic cultural values influence heroin use. This study explored Mexican-American injection drug users' adherence to traditional Hispanic cultural values and their impact on cessation. Ethnographic interviews endorsed contextualized influences of values on heroin use. Cultural values functioned dichotomously, influencing both initiation and cessation. Understanding the impact of cultural values on substance abuse is critical given the changing demographics in American society.
1Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA.
David V
DV
Flores
Luis R
LR
Torres
Isabel
I
Torres-Vigil
Patrick S
PS
Bordnick
Yi
Y
Ren
Melissa I M
MI
Torres
Freddie
F
Deleon
Irene
I
Pericot-Valverde
Tenee
T
Lopez
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003469:Culture; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012307:Risk Factors; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013781:Texas