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The experiences
of women receiving injections from others
Charlotte Tompkins, Research Assistant, North East Leeds Primary
Care Trust Centre for Research in Primary Care and Dr Nat Wright,
Clinical Director, Leeds Community Drug Treatment Service
Abstract
The international literature on being injected by others is scant,
however some evidence suggests that women drug users are more likely
to be injected by another injector i and
are over represented among injection recipients.ii
iii This collaborative study
was conducted in Leeds and North Nottinghamshire County to explore women's
experiences of receiving illicit drug injections from others. In depth
interviews, lasting from 30 to 90 minutes were conducted with 45 women
IDUs, recruited from a variety of settings. A grounded theory approach
to analysis was used.
Being injected by someone else the first time they experienced injecting
drug use was common and initiation was a time of innocence and abdication
of responsibility. Despite a strongly expressed fear of needles and
injecting, women continued to be injected as many lacked the knowledge
and confidence to prepare drugs and self inject. It was common for the
women to receive their heroin after their injector had self-injected.
However, the injector's condition often affected the injection technique
as being injected by heavily intoxicated injectors placed women at increased
risk of physical harm. Women appeared to be confused about the risks
associated with being injected but they felt wary in order to avoid
being deceived by others when being injected. Watching whilst being
injected had a number of benefits regarding safety and preventing deception.
The skill of injectors was based on their knowledge and injecting experience
and this was used to justify being injected. Being injected was a common
feature of many women's sexual relationships with men and sometimes
placed them at an increased risk of abuse and often resulted in physical
harm. However, a mutually supportive sexual relationship appeared to
minimise the risks from injecting. Women trusted male partners, female
friends and close family the most to inject them and relying on others
was widespread. Exchanging drugs as currency for being injected was
common. Acute opiate withdrawal placed women at increased risk as they
went to great lengths to alleviate withdrawal symptoms, including being
injected by users who they did not know. This study helped to understand
the receiving of injections and the associated risks. A number of recommendations
arise from the work and will be discussed as the implications of this
work.
Delivery
The preferred presentation setting is oral, using a power point presentation.
In order to interest and engage the audience, a number of quotes from
the women who were interviewed will be used to illustrate their experiences
of being injected
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Biographies
Charlotte is a Research Assistant for the Leeds North East Primary
Care Trust and is based at the Centre for Research in Primary Care with
Dr Nat Wright. With a background in Sociology and Social Policy, and
a Masters in Health Research, her research interests are injecting drug
use, homelessness, social exclusion and hepatitis C. She is currently
working a number of projects, using both qualitative and quantitative
methods.
Nat is the Clinical Director of the Leeds Community Drug Treatment
Services. His responsibilities include providing clinical leadership,
training, mentoring and research and development support to over 50
practices in Leeds, which are part of the shared care scheme for drug
users. From 1996-2003 he was the lead partner at the NFA Health Centre
for Homeless People Leeds, during which time the practice became a national
first wave beacon practice and an NHS Executive approved research practice.
He is the chair of the RCGP Health Inequalities Standing Group and the
GP Advisor to the National Treatment Agency for Substance Use in England.
He has written extensively on the topic of health inequalities with
particular reference to issues of homelessness and substance use.
The Implications of Receiving Injections of Illicit drugs from Other
People - A Qualitative Study of Women's Experiences
Charlotte N. E. Tompkins
Research Assistant, North East Leeds Primary Care Trust
Centre for Research in Primary Care
71-75 Clarendon Road
Leeds. LS2 9PL.
Tel - +44 (0) 113 3436966
Fax - +44 (0) 113 3434836
c.tompkins@leeds.ac.uk
i Evans, J., Hahn, J., Page-Shafer,
K., Lum, P., Stein, E. & Davidson, P. 'Gender Differences in Sexual
and Injection Risk Behaviour Among Active Young Injection Drug Users
in San Francisco (the UFO Study)'. Journal of Urban Health (2003) 80
(1): 137-146.
ii Kral, A.H., Bluthenthal,
R.N., Erringer, E.A., Lorvick, J. & Edlin, B.R. Risk Factors Among
IDUs who give Injections to or Receive Injections from other Drug Users.
Addiction (1999) 94 (5): 675-683.
iii Eicher, A.D., Crofts, N.,
Benjamin, S., Deutschmann, P. & Rodger, A.J. A Certain Fate: Spread
of HIV Among Young Injecting Drug Users in Manipur, North-East India.
AIDS Care (2000) 12 (4): 497-504.
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