Public health: social norms influence injection drug use
Social networks are known to play a strong role in the development of personal habits and beliefs. Descriptive and injunctive norms are both largely influenced by the composition of an individual's social network.
Participants were recruited from the STEP into Action Program in Baltimore, a local program for injection drug users. Participants were required to be older than 18, Baltimore City residents and willing to include a friend in the study.
After screening and giving informed consent, participants were interviewed for about two and a half hours concerning drug use practices and social networks.
The study concluded that the social environment plays an enormous role in shaping risk behaviors of injection drug users. Part of this effect is described by the "birds of a feather" paradigm, in which people with similar habits and preferences associate with one another and reinforce many of these inclinations.
For example needle sharers who abuse similar drugs at around the same frequency feel they have a better understanding of each other and consequently involve themselves in a fairly exclusive niche.
This mentality has a large impact on the maturation of norms that approve of needle sharing, resulting in the spread of more disease as the social network persists and grows. Having witnessed such results, the authors recommend that peer education is an essential tool in dealing with widely held perceptions and reaching entire social networks simultaneously.
Participants were recruited from the STEP into Action Program in Baltimore, a local program for injection drug users. Participants were required to be older than 18, Baltimore City residents and willing to include a friend in the study.
After screening and giving informed consent, participants were interviewed for about two and a half hours concerning drug use practices and social networks.
The study concluded that the social environment plays an enormous role in shaping risk behaviors of injection drug users. Part of this effect is described by the "birds of a feather" paradigm, in which people with similar habits and preferences associate with one another and reinforce many of these inclinations.
For example needle sharers who abuse similar drugs at around the same frequency feel they have a better understanding of each other and consequently involve themselves in a fairly exclusive niche.
This mentality has a large impact on the maturation of norms that approve of needle sharing, resulting in the spread of more disease as the social network persists and grows. Having witnessed such results, the authors recommend that peer education is an essential tool in dealing with widely held perceptions and reaching entire social networks simultaneously.
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Drug rehabilitation
posted 4/01/08 @ 7:05 AM EST
Very interesting and informative article. Although I know that sharing needles is a common practice among drug users, every time I read about this I find it shocking, that makes me realize how irresponsible drug users actually are. (Continued…)
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