Implications of Long-Term Injecting Heroin Use Among Mexican American Users

Background and Purpose: Intergenerational transmission of disadvantage is well known, but rarely considered in studies of people who inject drugs (PWID). Specifically, the impact of long-term heroin use has on family systems has been inadequately addressed. Aging parents may be particularly vulnerable to adult injecting heroin using children who may have remained in close contact to parents. A pilot study was conducted to examine the experiences of long-term Mexican American heroin users and the nature of their familial relationships.

Methods: A purposive sample of 40 middle-age (40 to 60), long-term PWID (15 or more years of injection), Hispanic men and women were recruited in Los Angeles for qualitative life course interviews that explore family relations, support and mutual assistance between the drug users and his/her family. Thematic and iterative data analysis approaches were used for the present analyses.

Results: Findings indicate strong family social networks as being particularly important during the life course of these heroin users. Specifically, results indicate that these Latino heroin users remain embedded in their neighborhoods of origin contributing to the maintenance of close connections to family members despite drug abuse, repeated incarceration episodes and other deviant behaviors. For instance, data show that users maintain strong ties with mothers and siblings who provide consistent emotional and instrumental support (i.e. housing, money, transportation, etc.). Reciprocally, users reported providing their aging parents with home care, maintenance and other domestic support. Discussed is the intergenerational transmission of heroin use that emerges within this context contributing to detrimental social and health consequences.

Conclusions and Implications: Findings suggest the retention of familial support provides a protective context for these LPWID. This is in contrast to other groups who find themselves isolated from non-drug using family members, peers and other sources of social and financial support. These findings point to factors such as maintaining social support and stigma minimization may have a “symbiotic effect” on reducing violence victimization, exposure to criminal justice system, and disease transmission risk. To the extent that LPWID familial connections are found among users in Los Angeles, appropriate interventions and prevention approaches can be designed that go beyond most efforts focused on helping heroin injectors meet one goal – avoiding disease transmission.