Drug Use, Street Survival, and Risk Behaviors Among Street Children in Lahore, Pakistan

Sherman, Susan; Plitt, Sabrina S.; Hassan, Salman ul; Cheng, Yun; Zafar, S. Tariq

doi:10.1093/jurban/jti113

Cited by 87 publications

(71 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…An alternative explanation is that people with long-standing drug use, despite having higher severity, are able to adapt to the destabilizing factors associated with incarceration and better able to cope with situations that would otherwise be chaotic. 78 Thus, in this cohort transitioning from jail, recent, rather than lifetime, drug use may be a more important predictor of instability and associated with ED use following release.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Emergency Department Use among HIV-Infected Released Jail Detainees

Boyd

Song²,

Meyer

et al. 2014

J Urban Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Release from short-term jail detention is highly destabilizing, associated with relapse to substance use, recidivism, and disrupted health care continuity. Little is known about emergency department (ED) use, potentially a surrogate for medical, psychiatric, or social instability, by people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) leaving jails. All ED visits were reviewed from medical records for a cohort of 109 PLHWA in the year following release from county jail in Connecticut, between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2010. Primary outcomes were frequency and timing of ED visits, modeled using multivariate negative binomial regression and Cox proportional hazards regression, respectively. Demographic, substance use, and psychiatric disorder severity factors were evaluated as potential covariates. . Those in late or sustained HIV care used the ED sooner than those not retained in HIV primary care (median for late retention 16.3 days, median for sustained retention 24.9 days, median for no retention not reached at 12 months, p value 0.004). Using multivariate modeling, those who used the ED earliest upon release were more likely to be homeless ]), to be retained in HIV care ), and to have recently used drugs ), yet had a low lifetime drug severity (HR 0.01 [0.00-0.14]). Among PLWHA released from jail, frequency of ED use is high, often soon after release, and is associated with social and drug-related destabilizing factors. Future interventions for this specific population should focus on addressing these resource gaps, ensuring housing, and establishing immediate linkage to HIV primary care after release from jail.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Emergency Department Use among HIV-Infected Released Jail Detainees

Boyd

Song²,

Meyer

et al. 2014

J Urban Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Most of the world’s street children are boys, although estimates of girls living on the streets range from one-fourth to one-third worldwide [21]. Throughout the world, poverty is the underlying cause of the high number of street children [21,22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Correlates of Suicide Ideation and Attempt among Youth Living in the Slums of Kampala

Swahn

Palmier

Kasirye³

et al. 2012

IJERPH

100

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

While suicidal behavior is recognized as a growing public health problem world-wide, little is known about the prevalence and risk factors for suicidal behaviors among street and slum youth in Africa, and in Uganda, specifically. The number of youth who live on the streets and in the slums of Kampala appears to be growing rapidly, but their mental health needs have not been documented, which has hampered resource allocation and service implementation. This study of youth, ages 14–24, was conducted in May and June of 2011, to assess the prevalence and correlates of suicidal behavior. Participants (N = 457) were recruited for a 30-minute interviewer-administered survey through eight drop-in centers operated by the Uganda Youth Development Link for youth in need of services. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were computed to determine associations between psychosocial correlates and suicide ideation and suicide attempt. Reporting both parents deceased Adj.OR = 2.36; 95% CI: 1.23–4.52), parental neglect due to alcohol use (Adj.OR = 2.09; 95% CI: 1.16–3.77), trading sex for food, shelter or money (Adj.OR = 1.95; 95% CI: 1.09–3.51), sadnesss (Adj.OR = 2.42; 95% CI: 1.20–4.89), loneliness (Adj.OR = 2.67; 95% CI: 1.12–6.40) and expectations of dying prior to age 30 (Adj.OR = 2.54; 95% CI: 1.53–4.23) were significantly associated with suicide ideation in multivariate analyses. Parental neglect due to alcohol use (Adj.OR = 2.04; 95% CI: 1.11–3.76), sadness (Adj.OR = 2.42; 95% CI: 1.30–7.87), and expectations of dying prior to age 30 (Adj.OR = 2.18; 95% CI: 1.25–3.79) were significantly associated with suicide attempt in multivariate analyses. Given the dire circumstances of this vulnerable population, increased services and primary prevention efforts to address the risk factors for suicidal behavior are urgently needed.

show abstract

“…Studies from settings around the world have established that street children experience a wide range of human immunodeficiency (HIV)-related risks and harms [2][3][4], often as a result of social, familial, and economic discrimination and exclusion. Sadly, for many street children, the exchange of sex for money, shelter, food, or drugs is a necessary yet perilous survival strategy.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%