New Psychoactive Substances in the Homeless Population

A Cross-Sectional Study in the United Kingdom

Dados Bibliográficos

ID15440968
AutoresThomas Coombs (0000-0001-5576-9958, Bournemouth University, autor correspondente), Tilak Ginige (0000-0003-1644-5701, Bournemouth University), Patrick Van Calster (Bournemouth University), Amor Abdelkader (0000-0002-1392-4355, Bournemouth University), Ornella Corazza (0000-0001-7371-319X, University of Hertfordshire), Sulaf Assi (0000-0002-5142-9179, Liverpool John Moores University)
Ano2023
Volume22
Fascículo4
Páginas2322-2337
Data de publicação2023-03-28
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoInternational Journal of Mental Health and Addiction (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1557-1874 • E-ISSN: 1557-1882
EditoraSpringer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1007/s11469-022-00988-7
OpenAlexW4361217245
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas2
Referências citadas46

The last few years have seen the emergence of new psychoactive substance among the homeless population, specifically synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists. The purpose of this study is to investigate the knowledge and experiences of new psychoactive substances amongst users from the homeless population. An explanatory research design was applied using a semi-structured questionnaire with the focus on gaining insights on the prevalence, motivations and effects. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling from support organisations and charities UK-wide. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were applied to analyse the data obtained from participant surveys. A total of 105 participants met the inclusion criteria and were in the age range of 18 to 64 years old. Almost 70% consumed new psychoactive substance products, which “Spice” was the most prevalent substance. Homeless users had consumed new psychoactive substance to escape reality and to self-treat themselves and stopped consumption due to the adverse effects. Adverse events were reported from the majority of the participants and led to more than 20% of the participants requiring medical treatment following hospitalisation. Findings from this study can contribute to the development of guidelines and policies that specifically address the needs of the homeless population who use new psychoactive substances

Cannabis · Cross-sectional study · Descriptive statistics · Drug · Ecstasy · Environmental health · Family medicine · Health psychology · Logistic regression · Population · Psychiatry · Psychoactive drug · Psychoactive substance · Public health · Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research · Homelessness and Social Issues · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology · Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes