Women and Injecting

Oretti, Rossana; Gregory, Pim

doi:10.1002/9780470776339.ch5

“…While the women in Bryant and Treloar's (2007) study reported self-injecting at initiation proportionately to the men, other evidence suggests that women are far less likely to self-inject at initiation than men (Oretti & Gregory, 2005;Roberts et al, 2010).…”

Section: Regular Using Within a Masculine Contextmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Regarding injecting use, the proportion of women who inject is unknown due to issues such as researching a stigmatised population, scant data and the lack of a disaggregated data and global systematic review of WWID (Oretti & Gregory, 2005;Pinkham et al, 2012b).…”

Section: Gender and (Injecting) Drugsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Injecting drugs is an activity that requires skill, care and knowledge. The disadvantages of being injected by someone else are associated with less autonomy over where on the body the injection will take place, the origin of the drugs and how the drugs have been prepared (Oretti & Gregory, 2005). Though self-injecting can pose some difficulties such as a lack of knowledge of safer injecting practices, and notably for women there are some biological differences that can make it more difficult, such as finding a suitable vein to inject (Roberts et al, 2010).…”

Section: Regular Using Within a Masculine Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Women who inject drugs: barriers to their access of Needle Exchange services, and gendered experiences

Gibson¹

0

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<p>This thesis examines the gendered experiences of women who inject drugs, and barriers they face when accessing needle exchange services. Globally, studies suggest women access needle exchange services less than men. In New Zealand, the evidence suggests a similar situation. From the little that is known about women’s experiences in this context, studies are often quantitative, medically-based, or lack the voices of women who inject. This thesis aims to understand the gendered factors affecting the experiences of women who inject drugs. This study is a feminist, qualitative study, and employed semi-structured interviews as the data collection method. Five key participants who had injected drugs and four key informants who work with people who inject drugs were interviewed. The data from the interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. This study found that stigma presented as an overwhelming, pervasive barrier to the participants, not only in their access to needle exchange services, but also as a harm in other facets of their lives. Additionally, other barriers such as location also affected their access. The data confirms the significance of gender in their experiences and how, within a drugs context, gendered issues mirror wider society. The findings provide a platform for further research in this field and contribute to the academic understanding of a marginalised and stereotyped population. They also support the implementation of women-sensitive initiatives within needle exchange services.</p>

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“…Regarding injecting use, the proportion of women who inject is unknown due to issues such as researching a stigmatised population, scant data and the lack of a disaggregated data and global systematic review of WWID (Oretti & Gregory, 2005;Pinkham et al, 2012b).…”

Section: Gender and (Injecting) Drugsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Injecting drugs is an activity that requires skill, care and knowledge. The disadvantages of being injected by someone else are associated with less autonomy over where on the body the injection will take place, the origin of the drugs and how the drugs have been prepared (Oretti & Gregory, 2005). Though self-injecting can pose some difficulties such as a lack of knowledge of safer injecting practices, and notably for women there are some biological differences that can make it more difficult, such as finding a suitable vein to inject (Roberts et al, 2010).…”

Section: Regular Using Within a Masculine Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Women who inject drugs: barriers to their access of Needle Exchange services, and gendered experiences

Gibson¹

0

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

<p>This thesis examines the gendered experiences of women who inject drugs, and barriers they face when accessing needle exchange services. Globally, studies suggest women access needle exchange services less than men. In New Zealand, the evidence suggests a similar situation. From the little that is known about women’s experiences in this context, studies are often quantitative, medically-based, or lack the voices of women who inject. This thesis aims to understand the gendered factors affecting the experiences of women who inject drugs. This study is a feminist, qualitative study, and employed semi-structured interviews as the data collection method. Five key participants who had injected drugs and four key informants who work with people who inject drugs were interviewed. The data from the interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. This study found that stigma presented as an overwhelming, pervasive barrier to the participants, not only in their access to needle exchange services, but also as a harm in other facets of their lives. Additionally, other barriers such as location also affected their access. The data confirms the significance of gender in their experiences and how, within a drugs context, gendered issues mirror wider society. The findings provide a platform for further research in this field and contribute to the academic understanding of a marginalised and stereotyped population. They also support the implementation of women-sensitive initiatives within needle exchange services.</p>

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“I would rather do it myself”: injection initiation and current injection patterns among women who inject drugs in Tijuana, Mexico

Stewart

¹

,

West

²

,

Rafful

³

et al. 2021

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Background Women who inject drugs (WWID) experience unique risks and adverse health outcomes related to injection initiation and patterns of injection drug use. However, there is limited information on injection initiation experiences and injection patterns among women and the protective strategies employed to limit injection-related harms, especially in low- and middle-income settings. Therefore, this study sought to explore injection initiation and current injection patterns (e.g., relying on someone else to inject) among women who inject drugs and engage in sex work in Tijuana, Mexico. Methods Semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted with 30 WWID on the following topics: injection initiation, current injection patterns, places where women inject, and protective strategies (i.e., risk reduction). All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and de-identified. An inductive thematic analysis was conducted to identify and compare common themes and patterns across participants. Results The interviews revealed that the vast majority of study participants were first initiated by another person who injects drugs (PWID), often a male sexual partner. However, the majority of the women transitioned to become self-injectors in order to avoid risks associated with relying on others for injection, including overdose, interpersonal violence, sexual abuse, and wounds. Those who relied on others indicated that they would prefer to inject themselves without assistance from others if they were able to. Conclusions The narratives uncovered in this study reveal the importance of multiple risk environments in shaping perceived risks associated with injection drug use among women in Tijuana, Mexico. Specifically, the interviews elucidate the connection between interpersonal relationships with other PWID and protective strategies used to minimize risk and harm. These findings highlight the need for women-centered harm reduction programs to facilitate the development of safer drug use environments among WWID in Tijuana, Mexico.

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Women and Injecting

Cited by 4 publications

References 39 publications

Women who inject drugs: barriers to their access of Needle Exchange services, and gendered experiences

Women who inject drugs: barriers to their access of Needle Exchange services, and gendered experiences

Women who inject drugs: barriers to their access of Needle Exchange services, and gendered experiences

“I would rather do it myself”: injection initiation and current injection patterns among women who inject drugs in Tijuana, Mexico

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