An exploratory qualitative study of polydrug use histories among recently initiated injection drug users in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

It is well documented that drug users often modulate the effects of their primary drugs of use (e.g., cocaine) by using other drugs (e.

Elicitation of salient beliefs related to drug preparation practices among injection drug users in Puerto Rico.

Even when IDUs use their own syringes, the common use of drug preparation materials can expose them to blood-borne pathogens. Notwithstanding the accumulated evidence about the riskiness of drug preparation practices (DPPs), the factors that lead IDUs to engage in DPPs have remained understudied. We conducted 80 semi-structured interviews to elicit salient beliefs about engaging in low-risk DPPs.

Injecting shared drugs: an observational study of the process of drug acquisition, preparation, and injection by Puerto Rican drug users.

The practice of injecting shared drugs, in which drug users prepare, divide and inject portions of a drug solution, is a means of transmitting HIV, HCV, and other blood-borne pathogens. This study examined the process of injecting shared drugs among drug users in San Juan, Puerto Rico, through detailed observations of 25 episodes of the injection of shared drugs, and by informal interviewing of episode participants. The ways in which price and packaging of drugs, access to drug preparation materials, and social and economic relations between drug-sharing "partners" influence the process of injecting shared drugs are explored.

Puerto Rican drug users experiences of physical and sexual abuse: comparisons based on sexual identities.

This study integrates the results of quantitative and qualitative methods to elucidate the association between sexual identity and physical and sexual abuse among Puerto Rican drug users. A structured questionnaire was administered to 800 subjects in New York and 399 in Puerto Rico. A total of 93 subjects (7.