Abstract
The aim of this study was to characterize the sociodemographic conditions and patterns of crack use among women. A descriptive-exploratory study with a qualitative approach was performed in January 2012, using semi-structured interviews with 16 women who use or used crack, and were enrolled in the Damage Reduction Strategy of the municipality of Pelotas, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Data were analyzed using the thematic content analysis. A group of young women was identified with low levels of education and income, which perform informal labor activities and have at least one child. The pattern of crack use among these women was identified as the "binge" type, interfering with daily activities, and characterizing the group of women as abusive users. The pattern of crack use among the women, and its relation to issues of gender, pointed to the production of new insertions and discourses, bringing into question pre-defined behaviors in society.
Highlights
In light of the increasing use of crack in Brazil, the media has associated the use of psychoactive substances (PAS) to complex social problems such as violence and crime in its advertisements and news reports, and influenced the social imagination with very little concern for truly understanding the phenomenon
Three factors are pointed to as determinants for defining the pattern of use of PAS, these being: the substance, i.e., the pharmacological action, including dosage and the manner in which it is used; the set, which corresponds to the state of the person at the time of use; and the setting, which is the influence of the physical and social environment where use occurs.[3]
Data were collected through the Damage Reducing Agents (DRAs) of Pelotas-RS, which is a sector of the Municipal Health Department (MHD), and connected to the Management of the Program for Sexually Transmitted Diseases, being understood and organized within the Damage Reduction Program (DRP)
Summary
In light of the increasing use of crack in Brazil, the media has associated the use of psychoactive substances (PAS) to complex social problems such as violence and crime in its advertisements and news reports, and influenced the social imagination with very little concern for truly understanding the phenomenon. Three factors are pointed to as determinants for defining the pattern of use of PAS, these being: the substance, i.e., the pharmacological action, including dosage and the manner in which it is used (intravenous, snorted, smoked, etc.); the set, which corresponds to the state of the person at the time of use (personality, expectations before use); and the setting, which is the influence of the physical and social environment where use occurs (other people, place, cultural meanings attributed to use).[3] Based on these factors, the pattern of use of PAS is characterized as controlled or abusive. The second is defined by uncontrolled and dysfunctional use, in which the person is unable to maintain control over use, and his or her thinking is focused only on the use of the PAS, so that sleep, food, affection, sense of responsibility and survival lose significance.[3,4]
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