DOI: 10.3886/icpsr34896
title: Health Consequences of Long-Term Injection Heroin Use Among Aging Mexican American Men in Houston, Texas, 2008 - 2011 [Restricted-use Files]
title: Archival Version

description: The study is comprised of interviews from 227 Hispanic males aged 45 or older living in the area of Houston, Texas to address the gaps in knowledge on the social factors and health consequences of injection heroin use among aging Mexican American males. Specifically, the study investigated how the life course transitions of incarceration and drug treatment and drug abuse and family trajectories affect both the heroin career status and health consequences of these aging Mexican American men. The study used a cross-sectional, field-intensive outreach methodology augmented with respondent-driven sampling. Recruitment was focused in two Houston neighborhoods that are predominantly Mexican American areas with high rates of crime, poverty, and psychosocial challenges. Trained Outreach Specialists familiar with these communities identified community gatekeepers and gained their trust through continued presence in the community and ongoing dialogue about the study. These gatekeepers then helped identify individuals meeting the inclusion criteria: Mexican American men aged 45 years or older with a history of injection drug use for at least 3 years. The men were then classified into one of three groups: current injectors (current group), former injectors not in treatment (former group), or former injectors currently enrolled in methadone maintenance treatment programs (MMTP group).The second part is a second survey asking questions about social networks the respondent participates in. Questions ask the respondent to answer on one individual in their network and answer questions about that person and their interaction with them. Questions include basic demographics, history injecting drugs and sexual contact with the person.
description: Mexican Americans have consistently had very high rates of injection heroin use and AIDS risk behavior when compared to other groups in the United States. Previous research focused on variations of injection drug use patterns as related to HIV risks with no differentiation made between age cohorts, even though injection heroin use tends to be associated more often with relatively older drug users within this population of Mexican Americans. As these heroin users age, they are confronted by many of the same social and health problems as other aging groups, however, their problems may be more severe given their heroin addiction histories. The specific aims of this study were to: Describe and compare the severity of drug dependence, co-occurring conditions and general health consequences of long term injection heroin use among the three comparison groups; Examine the sociodemographic and social conditions including family, social capital, and neighborhood residency variables that discriminate between the three comparison groups; Examine the variations in life course, drug abuse, family trajectories, incarceration, and drug treatment transitions; and Verify the mediating influence of social capital on the relationships among life course trajectories, heroin career status, and the health consequences of long-term heroin injecting in this Mexican American population.
description: Interviews were conducted face-to-face using a semi-structured instrument. Participants were compensated $40 per interview and an additional $10 finders fee for referrals of up to two other individuals who met inclusion criteria. Each referral chain was stopped after three links (i.e., the original individual, the two referred by him, and the four referred by those two) to ensure representation from a broad range of networks rather than focusing on all individuals from the same network.
description: Major sections within the main survey (Part 1) contain questions on the following topics: Occupation and Income Religion Family relationships Drug use Drug treatment Sexual behavior Incarceration history Physical health Social capital Memory The second part concerning the networks of the respondent asks questions primarily about one other person regarding that person's drug use, sexual history, and the interaction he or she had with the respondent.
description: The data files do not contain a weight variable.
description: Presence of Common Scales: Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) General Health Questionnaire - 28 (GHQ-28) Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS) Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican American (ARMSA)
description: Datasets: DS0: Study-Level Files DS1: Respondent Survey DS2: Social Network Survey
description: Hispanic males aged 45 or older with a history of heroin injection.
description: face-to-face interview