Drug Initiation of Female Detainees in a Compulsory Drug Treatment Institution in China

This study explored drug initiation among 46 Chinese women in a compulsory drug treatment institution. The study adopted a mixed method with a strong emphasis on qualitative techniques to capture the perspectives of women in long-term treatment regarding their drug initiation experiences. A complementary analysis of quantitative data was used to help interpret, refine, deepen, and extend qualitative findings. Participants were divided into two groups according to their main drug of choice: 27 used methamphetamines and 19 used heroin (11 of them used methamphetamines occasionally). Four main themes were identified in the analysis of participants' drug initiation narratives: (1) involvement in high-risk social networks; (2) lack of family love and support; (3) relationship problems; and (4) male partner influence. Findings indicate that the younger generation preferred starting their drug career with methamphetamines rather than heroin, due to the changes in the drug market and broader changes related to globalization. A lack of family love and support had a strong effect on the initiation of methamphetamine but not heroin users; however, male intimate partners and relationship issues showed strong influence on heroin initiation. Having high-risk social networks was a common narrative in the drug use initiation of Chinese women across methamphetamine and heroin groups.