Project dates: July 2013 - June 2016
Recent evidence suggests that opioid misuse (heroin and prescription opioids) and injection drug use (IDU) occur at high rates among youth within Former Soviet Union (FSU) communities in the U.S. These youth may also be at heightened risk for HIV/HCV infection due to high-risk environments both in their original countries and in their new communities in the US. In addition, cultural factors such as fear of stigma and discomfort with drug treatment models may be barriers to these youths’ use of drug treatment and disease prevention services. This study focused on these youth and document their sex- and drug-related risk behaviors and drug use patterns, and explore the potential influence of immigration and acculturation on drug use and disease risk. The knowledge gained will provide an evidence base to inform the development of culturally-targeted drug treatment approaches, as well as a culturally-appropriate HIV/HCV prevention intervention for opioid-using FSU youth.
Abstract on NIH RePORTER“Not human, dead already”: Perceptions and experiences of drug-related stigma among opioid-using young adults from the former Soviet Union living in the U.S.
International Journal of Drug Policy, 38, 63-72. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2016.10.012. PMCID: PMC5302021.
Guarino H, Marsch LA, Deren S, Straussner SL, Teper A (2015).
Opioid use trajectories, injection drug use and HCV risk among young adult immigrants from the former Soviet Union living in New York City
Journal of Addictive Diseases, 34 (2-3), 162-177. doi: 10.1080/10550887.2015.1059711. PMCID: PMC4583065.