Journal article
Loneliness and fearfulness are associated with non-fatal drug overdose among people who inject drugs
PloS one, v 19(2), pp e0297209-e0297209
21 Feb 2024
PMID: 38381763
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
People who inject drugs (PWID) experience high rates of drug overdose death with the risk of mortality increasing after each non-fatal event. Racial differences exist in drug overdose rates, with higher rates among Black people who use drugs. Psychological factors may predict drug overdose.
Cross-sectional data from a survey administered to PWID in Baltimore, MD enrolled in a social network-based intervention were analyzed. Linear regression methods with generalized estimating equations were used to analyze data from indexes and network members to assess for psychological factors significantly associated with self-reported number of lifetime drug overdoses. Factors associated with number of overdoses were assessed separately by race.
Among 111 PWID enrolled between January 2018 and January 2019, 25.2% were female, 65.7% were Black, 98.2% reported use of substances in addition to opioids, and the mean age was 49.0 ± 8.3 years. Seventy-five individuals (67.6%) had a history of any overdose with a mean of 5.0 ± 9.7 lifetime overdoses reported. Reports of feeling fearful (β = 9.74, P = 0.001) or feeling lonely all of the time (β = 5.62, P = 0.033) were independently associated with number of drug overdoses. In analyses disaggregated by race, only the most severe degree of fearfulness or loneliness was associated with overdose among Black participants, whereas among White participants, any degree of fearfulness or loneliness was associated with overdose.
In this study of PWID loneliness and fearfulness were significantly related to the number of reported overdose events. These factors could be targeted in future interventions.
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Details
- Title
- Loneliness and fearfulness are associated with non-fatal drug overdose among people who inject drugs
- Creators
- Oluwaseun Falade-Nwulia - Division of Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States of AmericaKathleen Ward - Drexel University, Dana and David Dornsife School of Public HealthKarla D Wagner - University of Nevada RenoHamidreza Karimi-Sari - Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineJeffrey Hsu - Kaiser PermanenteMark Sulkowski - Johns Hopkins MedicineCarl Latkin - Division of Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States of AmericaEvaristus Nwulia - Howard University
- Publication Details
- PloS one, v 19(2), pp e0297209-e0297209
- Publisher
- PLOS
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Dana and David Dornsife School of Public Health
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001178136600013
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85185619741
- Other Identifier
- 991021906507204721
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InCites Highlights
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Substance Abuse