Social networks of drug users in high-risk sites: Finding the connections

Margaret R. Weeks; Scott Clair; Stephen P. Borgatti; Kim Radda; Jean J. Schensul

doi:10.1023/A:1015457400897

Social networks of drug users in high-risk sites: Finding the connections

Margaret R. Weeks, Scott Clair, Stephen P. Borgatti, Kim Radda, Jean J. Schensul

Management

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

102 Scopus citations

Abstract

Social network research increasingly expands our understanding of the social environment of drug users' health risks, particularly those associated with the transmission of HIV, hepatitis, and other sexually transmitted and bloodborne infectious diseases. Our study of the networks of drug users who use high-risk sites, where people gather to inject drugs and smoke crack cocaine, is designed to explore the relationships and interactions of drug users in settings in which potential risk occurs, and to assess the opportunity to create prevention linkages. This paper describes the ego-network characteristics and macro-network linkages among a sample of 293 drug users recruited through street outreach and personal drug-use network referral in Hartford, Connecticut. Characteristics of the largest connected component of the network are also described and analyzed. We discuss uses of network analyses as well as implications of network connections for peer-led AIDS prevention intervention conducted in high-risk drug-use sites.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	193-206
Number of pages	14
Journal	AIDS and Behavior
Volume	6
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015457400897
State	Published - Jun 2002

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The data for this paper were drawn from the Study of High Risk Drug Use Settings for HIV Prevention, Project 3 of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (Grant #P01MH/DA56826; CIRA Principal Investigator: Michael Merson; Project 3 Director: Margaret R. Weeks; Project 3 Codirectors: Jean J. Schensul, Merrill Singer). We are grateful to the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute of Mental Health for funding this project. We are also indebted to the many people who contributed their personal information, without which we could not have conducted this study.

Funding

The data for this paper were drawn from the Study of High Risk Drug Use Settings for HIV Prevention, Project 3 of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (Grant #P01MH/DA56826; CIRA Principal Investigator: Michael Merson; Project 3 Director: Margaret R. Weeks; Project 3 Codirectors: Jean J. Schensul, Merrill Singer). We are grateful to the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute of Mental Health for funding this project. We are also indebted to the many people who contributed their personal information, without which we could not have conducted this study.

Funders	Funder number
National Institute of Mental Health
National Institute on Drug Abuse

Keywords

African Americans
Drug users
Drug-use settings
HIV
Puerto Ricans
Social networks

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Social Psychology
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Infectious Diseases

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1023/A:1015457400897

Cite this

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title = "Social networks of drug users in high-risk sites: Finding the connections",

abstract = "Social network research increasingly expands our understanding of the social environment of drug users' health risks, particularly those associated with the transmission of HIV, hepatitis, and other sexually transmitted and bloodborne infectious diseases. Our study of the networks of drug users who use high-risk sites, where people gather to inject drugs and smoke crack cocaine, is designed to explore the relationships and interactions of drug users in settings in which potential risk occurs, and to assess the opportunity to create prevention linkages. This paper describes the ego-network characteristics and macro-network linkages among a sample of 293 drug users recruited through street outreach and personal drug-use network referral in Hartford, Connecticut. Characteristics of the largest connected component of the network are also described and analyzed. We discuss uses of network analyses as well as implications of network connections for peer-led AIDS prevention intervention conducted in high-risk drug-use sites.",

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Social networks of drug users in high-risk sites: Finding the connections

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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