Understanding drug use patterns among the homeless population: A systematic review of quantitative studies

Substance use problems among the homeless population represents a major issue leading to increased morbidity and mortality. The aim of this review was to investigate the prevalence, trends and effects of substance use among the homeless population. Studies were identified through electronic searches...

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Main Authors: Thomas Coombs, Amor Abdelkader, Tilak Ginige, Patrick Van Calster, Matthew Harper, Dhiya Al-Jumeily, Sulaf Assi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-12-01
Series:Emerging Trends in Drugs, Addictions, and Health
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667118223000107
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author Thomas Coombs
Amor Abdelkader
Tilak Ginige
Patrick Van Calster
Matthew Harper
Dhiya Al-Jumeily
Sulaf Assi
author_facet Thomas Coombs
Amor Abdelkader
Tilak Ginige
Patrick Van Calster
Matthew Harper
Dhiya Al-Jumeily
Sulaf Assi
author_sort Thomas Coombs
collection DOAJ
description Substance use problems among the homeless population represents a major issue leading to increased morbidity and mortality. The aim of this review was to investigate the prevalence, trends and effects of substance use among the homeless population. Studies were identified through electronic searches of Google Scholar, Science Direct, Medline, Embase and Scopus between January 2007 and December 2020. Studies included were those reporting substance use and homelessness within the age range of 18–64 years old, whereas interventional and rehabilitation studies were excluded. Subsequently the extraction yielded twenty-five studies. The results showed that substance use was more prevalent in males than females and alcohol the most popular substance used among the homeless population. After 2017, however, both alcohol and new psychoactive substances (NPS) were equally a problem. This urges the need to develop research in homelessness and NPS consumption to increase awareness among health care providers, governmental agencies and academics.
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publisher Elsevier
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series Emerging Trends in Drugs, Addictions, and Health
spelling doaj-art-c9723edf24734d058a245c6498730d172025-08-20T01:56:34ZengElsevierEmerging Trends in Drugs, Addictions, and Health2667-11822024-12-01410005910.1016/j.etdah.2023.100059Understanding drug use patterns among the homeless population: A systematic review of quantitative studiesThomas Coombs0Amor Abdelkader1Tilak Ginige2Patrick Van Calster3Matthew Harper4Dhiya Al-Jumeily5Sulaf Assi6Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, Christchurch House, Talbot Campus Fern Barrow, BH12 5BB, UK; Corresponding author.Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, Christchurch House, Talbot Campus Fern Barrow, BH12 5BB, UKFaculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, Christchurch House, Talbot Campus Fern Barrow, BH12 5BB, UKFaculty of Health and Social Sciences, Bournemouth University, BH12 5BB, UKLiverpool John Moores University, L3 3AF, UKLiverpool John Moores University, L3 3AF, UKLiverpool John Moores University, L3 3AF, UKSubstance use problems among the homeless population represents a major issue leading to increased morbidity and mortality. The aim of this review was to investigate the prevalence, trends and effects of substance use among the homeless population. Studies were identified through electronic searches of Google Scholar, Science Direct, Medline, Embase and Scopus between January 2007 and December 2020. Studies included were those reporting substance use and homelessness within the age range of 18–64 years old, whereas interventional and rehabilitation studies were excluded. Subsequently the extraction yielded twenty-five studies. The results showed that substance use was more prevalent in males than females and alcohol the most popular substance used among the homeless population. After 2017, however, both alcohol and new psychoactive substances (NPS) were equally a problem. This urges the need to develop research in homelessness and NPS consumption to increase awareness among health care providers, governmental agencies and academics.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667118223000107Homeless populationSubstance useAlcoholNew psychoactive substancesSynthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist
spellingShingle Thomas Coombs
Amor Abdelkader
Tilak Ginige
Patrick Van Calster
Matthew Harper
Dhiya Al-Jumeily
Sulaf Assi
Understanding drug use patterns among the homeless population: A systematic review of quantitative studies
Emerging Trends in Drugs, Addictions, and Health
Homeless population
Substance use
Alcohol
New psychoactive substances
Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist
title Understanding drug use patterns among the homeless population: A systematic review of quantitative studies
title_full Understanding drug use patterns among the homeless population: A systematic review of quantitative studies
title_fullStr Understanding drug use patterns among the homeless population: A systematic review of quantitative studies
title_full_unstemmed Understanding drug use patterns among the homeless population: A systematic review of quantitative studies
title_short Understanding drug use patterns among the homeless population: A systematic review of quantitative studies
title_sort understanding drug use patterns among the homeless population a systematic review of quantitative studies
topic Homeless population
Substance use
Alcohol
New psychoactive substances
Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667118223000107
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