开始从事毒品交易的街头青少年被监禁的风险增加。
Elevated risk of incarceration among street-involved youth who initiate drug dealing.
作者信息
Hoy Carly, Barker Brittany, Regan Jackie, Dong Huiru, Richardson Lindsey, Kerr Thomas, DeBeck Kora
机构信息
Urban Health Research Initiative, British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul's Hospital, 608-1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1Y6, Canada.
Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
出版信息
Harm Reduct J. 2016 Nov 22;13(1):32. doi: 10.1186/s12954-016-0120-3.
BACKGROUND
Street-involved youth are known to be an economically vulnerable population that commonly resorts to risky activities such as drug dealing to generate income. While incarceration is common among people who use illicit drugs and associated with increased economic vulnerability, interventions among this population remain inadequate. Although previous research has documented the role of incarceration in further entrenching youth in both the criminal justice system and street life, less is known whether recent incarceration predicts initiating drug dealing among vulnerable youth. This study examines the relationship between incarceration and drug dealing initiation among street-involved youth.
METHODS
Between September 2005 and November 2014, data were collected through the At-Risk Youth Study, a cohort of street-involved youth who use illicit drugs, in Vancouver, Canada. An extended Cox model with time-dependent variables was used to examine the relationship between recent incarceration and initiation into drug dealing, controlling for relevant confounders.
RESULTS
Among 1172 youth enrolled, only 194 (16.6%) were drug dealing naïve at baseline and completed at least one additional study visit to facilitate the assessment of drug dealing initiation. Among this sample, 56 (29%) subsequently initiated drug dealing. In final multivariable Cox regression analysis, recent incarceration was significantly associated with initiating drug dealing (adjusted hazard ratio = 2.31; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.21-4.42), after adjusting for potential confounders. Measures of recent incarceration lagged to the prior study follow-up were not found to predict initiation of drug dealing (hazard ratio = 1.50; 95% CI 0.66-3.42).
CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that among this study sample, incarceration does not appear to significantly propel youth to initiate drug dealing. However, the initiation of drug dealing among youth coincides with an increased risk of incarceration and their consequent vulnerability to the significant harms associated therein. Given that existing services tailored to street-involved youth are inadequate, evidence-based interventions should be invested and scaled up as a public health priority.
背景
众所周知，涉足街头的青少年是经济上易受伤害的人群，他们通常会采取诸如毒品交易等危险活动来赚取收入。虽然监禁在使用非法药物的人群中很常见，并且与经济脆弱性增加有关，但针对这一人群的干预措施仍然不足。尽管先前的研究已经记录了监禁在使青少年进一步深陷刑事司法系统和街头生活方面所起的作用，但对于近期的监禁是否能预测弱势青少年开始从事毒品交易，人们了解得较少。本研究考察了涉足街头的青少年中监禁与开始从事毒品交易之间的关系。
方法
2005年9月至2014年11月期间，通过“高危青年研究”收集数据，该研究是加拿大温哥华一群使用非法药物的涉足街头的青少年队列。使用带有时间依存变量的扩展Cox模型来考察近期监禁与开始从事毒品交易之间的关系，并控制相关混杂因素。
结果
在登记的1172名青少年中，只有194人（16.6%）在基线时未从事毒品交易，并且完成了至少一次额外的研究访视以促进对开始从事毒品交易的评估。在这个样本中，56人（29%）随后开始从事毒品交易。在最终的多变量Cox回归分析中，在调整潜在混杂因素后，近期监禁与开始从事毒品交易显著相关（调整后的风险比=2.31；95%置信区间（CI）1.21 - 4.42）。未发现滞后到先前研究随访的近期监禁指标能预测开始从事毒品交易（风险比=1.50；95%CI 0.66 - 3.42）。
结论
这些发现表明，在本研究样本中，监禁似乎并未显著促使青少年开始从事毒品交易。然而，青少年开始从事毒品交易与监禁风险增加及其随之而来的遭受相关重大伤害的脆弱性同时出现。鉴于现有的针对涉足街头青少年的服务不足，应将基于证据的干预措施作为公共卫生优先事项进行投入和扩大规模。
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