1. From 'Kickeando las malias' (Kicking the Withdrawals) to 'Staying clean': The Impact of Cultural Values on Cessation of Injection Drug Use in Aging Mexican-American Men
- Author
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David Flores, Tenee Lopez, Patrick S. Bordnick, Freddie Deleon, Melissa I M Torres, Irene Pericot-Valverde, Isabel Torres-Vigil, Luis R. Torres, and Yi Ren
- Subjects
Male ,Gerontology ,Health (social science) ,Culture ,Protective factor ,Medicine (miscellaneous) ,Mexican americans ,Article ,Injection drug use ,Heroin ,Risk Factors ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,Mexican Americans ,Ethnography ,medicine ,Cultural values ,Humans ,Substance Abuse, Intravenous ,Qualitative Research ,Aged ,Aged, 80 and over ,Heroin Dependence ,business.industry ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,Texas ,Substance Withdrawal Syndrome ,Substance abuse ,Psychiatry and Mental health ,business ,medicine.drug ,Qualitative research - Abstract
Drug use among older adults is a growing concern, particularly for the burgeoning Hispanic population. Older adults seeking drug treatment will double over the next decade to almost 6 million. Cultural factors influence drug use, and more specifically, Hispanic cultural values influence heroin use. This study explored Mexican-American injection drug users' adherence to traditional Hispanic cultural values and their impact on cessation. Ethnographic interviews endorsed contextualized influences of values on heroin use. Cultural values functioned dichotomously, influencing both initiation and cessation. Understanding the impact of cultural values on substance abuse is critical given the changing demographics in American society.
- Published
- 2014
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