AIDSImpact.com:: - Santa Fe, USA 2011

Abstract #53 - Social context and HIV risk in a New York City immigrant community: an exploratory study of opioid-using youth from the former Soviet Union
Authors: Presenting Author: Dr. Honoria Guarino - National Development & Research Institutes
Additional Authors: Dr. Sarah Moore, Dr. Lisa Marsch,
Aim: After the collapse of the Soviet Union two decades ago, Russia and several other countries of the former Soviet Union (FSU) have witnessed the rapid emergence of major HIV epidemics fuelled by alarmingly high rates of substance abuse, injection drug use and risk behaviors such as syringe sharing. Because of the high risk environment in their countries of origin, as well the reportedly high prevalence of opioid abuse and injection drug use within FSU immigrant communities, young first-generation FSU immigrants living in the U.S. may be particularly vulnerable to the harms associated with opioid abuse, including injection-mediated transmission of HIV. The aims of this paper are to explore the specific substance use patterns and social contextual factors, including cultural norms and values and the interactional settings within which opioid use occurs, that may facilitate the spread of HIV and similar diseases within the understudied population of FSU immigrant youth.
Method / Issue: This exploratory, qualitative study was conducted in New York City, the location of the greatest number of FSU immigrants within the U.S. In-depth, tape-recorded interviews (1-1 ½ hours in length) were conducted with FSU immigrants who initiated opioid use in their adolescence or young adulthood (n=10), as well as with substance abuse treatment providers who work with this population (n=7), several of whom are themselves immigrants from the FSU. Informed by a grounded theory approach, verbatim interview transcripts were inductively coded and analyzed to identify key themes and concepts.
Results / Comments: Interviews revealed several substance use patterns and social contextual factors that may function to heighten HIV risk among opioid-using youth from the FSU including: a strong preference for injection as a route of administration for opioids which some participants speculated may be linked to the commonality of injection in traditional Russian medical practice; the extreme stigmatization of drug users in Soviet and post-Soviet culture which providers indicated may contribute to youths’ reluctance to access substance abuse treatment and harm reduction services; and a tendency for opioid use to occur within communal, peer-group settings comprised of closely allied FSU immigrant youth, interactional contexts that findings suggest may be conducive to the sharing of syringes and other injection paraphernalia.
Discussion: Further investigation into HIV risk among opioid-using youth from the FSU is warranted and may help prevent a rapid surge in HIV prevalence from occurring within FSU immigrant communities in the U.S. as has occurred in many former Soviet countries. Present findings point to the need for customized HIV prevention efforts targeting FSU immigrant youth which incorporate Russian-language materials and services. Prevention models such as peer-driven interventions may be particularly effective with this population given the particular social contexts of their opioid use.
Go Back