The correlates of financial strain amongst people who inject drugs

Objective: Measuring experience of fi nancial stress provides useful information regarding individuals’ economic wellbeing, and by extension, overall wellbeing. Financial stress is a state of having insuffi cient money to meet basic fi nancial commitments. Existing studies have suggested that income, employment status, educational history, relationship changes, illness and injuries are associated with increased fi nancial stress. Amongst people who regularly inject drugs, it may also be expected that factors such as the frequency of injecting drugs and use of drugs with marked cognitive effects such as benzodiazepines and cannabis, would also be associated with experience of fi nancial strain. This study aims to examine the correlates and experience of fi nancial strain in a sample of people who frequently inject drugs. Method: Structured interviews were conducted with 210 people who regularly inject drugs, as part of the Illicit Drug Reporting System in Tasmania in 2011 and 2012. Questions were included from the Melbourne Institute’s Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey to quantify the experience of fi nancial stress. Results: Preliminary data suggests that income, employment status, educational history, mental and physical health, frequency of injection and use of benzodiazepines and cannabis were not substantially correlated with experience of fi nancial strain; however, lifetime experience of head injury resulting in loss of consciousness was positively correlated with severity of fi nancial strain. In addition, fi nancial strain was associated with participation in self-reported criminal activity and poorer quality of life. These fi ndings highlight the need for increased awareness of the impact of head injuries on people who inject drugs, and ensuring assessment, treatment and support encompass this often overlooked area.