Multi-level influences on increased overdose risk behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic among people who use drugs in Rhode Island: a qualitative investigation.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected structurally vulnerable populations including people who use drugs (PWUD). Increased overdose risk behaviors among PWUD during the pandemic have been documented, with research underscoring the role of influencing factors such as isolation and job loss in these behaviors. Here, we use qualitative methods to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and pandemic-related response measures on drug use behaviors in a sample of PWUD in Rhode Island. Using a social-ecological framework, we highlight the nested, interactive levels of the pandemic's influence on increased overdose risk behaviors.

Methods

From July to October 2021, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 PWUD who self-reported any inc

SUBMITTER: Frueh L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9898862 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature