The University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work, 1925 San Jacinto Boulevard, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
School of Social Work, The University of Alabama, 670 Judy Bonner Drive, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35401, USA.
Harm Reduct J. 2022 Jul 2;19(1):72. doi: 10.1186/s12954-022-00653-1.
Fatal drug overdoses in the USA hit historical records during the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the pandemic, people who used drugs had greater odds of contracting COVID-19, increased drug use due to COVID-related stress, and heightened levels of anxiety and depression. This qualitative study examined the specific ways the pandemic negatively impacted people who use drugs.
Qualitative interviews with 24 people who use drugs and 20 substance use harm reduction workers were conducted. Data from the qualitative interviews were analyzed using applied thematic analysis to identify emergent themes based on the a priori research goals.
Thematic analysis identified several common experiences during the pandemic among people who use drugs. These included mental distress due to financial strain and social isolation; increased drug use; increased risky drug-seeking and use behaviors due to changes in the drug markets; and reduced access to harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support services.
Our study highlighted critical systemic failures that contributed to the rise in overdose deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing these challenges through policy reform and improved funding models will ensure the sustainability of harm reduction services and increase access to substance use treatment among highly vulnerable people who use drugs.
在美国，COVID-19 大流行期间，致命药物过量的情况创下历史纪录。在整个大流行期间，吸毒者感染 COVID-19 的几率更高，由于与 COVID 相关的压力导致吸毒增加，焦虑和抑郁水平升高。这项定性研究探讨了大流行对吸毒者产生负面影响的具体方式。
对 24 名吸毒者和 20 名药物使用减少伤害工作者进行了定性访谈。使用应用主题分析对定性访谈中的数据进行分析，根据预先设定的研究目标确定新出现的主题。
主题分析确定了大流行期间吸毒者的一些共同经历。这些经历包括经济压力和社会隔离导致的精神困扰；吸毒增加；由于毒品市场的变化，吸毒和寻求吸毒的风险行为增加；以及减少获得减少伤害、治疗和康复支持服务的机会。
我们的研究强调了导致 COVID-19 大流行期间过量死亡增加的关键系统故障。通过政策改革和改善资金模式来解决这些挑战，将确保减少伤害服务的可持续性，并增加高度脆弱的吸毒者获得药物使用治疗的机会。
