Table 2.
Selected information-motivation-behavioral (IMB) skills model-related factors associated with overdose among young adults
| Characteristic | Overall n (%) n = 93 |
Never overdosed n (%) n = 59 |
Have overdosed n (%) n = 34 |
p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Information | ||||
| Fentanyl acts more quickly than heroin | ||||
| Agree | 50 (54%) | 29 (49%) | 21 (62%) | 0.042 |
| Disagree | 10 (11%) | 4 (7%) | 6 (18%) | |
| Neutral/do not know | 33 (35%) | 26 (44%) | 7 (20%) | |
| I would like to be able to know if there is fentanyl in my drugs before I take them | ||||
| Agree | 86 (93%) | 56 (95%) | 30 (88%) | 0.070 |
| Disagree | 5 (5%) | 1 (2%) | 4 (12%) | |
| Neutral/do not know | 2 (2%) | 2 (3%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Heroin and other drugs that are mixed with fentanyl look different than drugs that are not mixed with fentanyl | ||||
| True | 25 (27%) | 16 (27%) | 9 (26%) | 0.089 |
| False | 40 (43%) | 21 (36%) | 19 (56%) | |
| Do not know | 28 (30%) | 22 (37%) | 6 (18%) | |
| Have you ever heard of naloxone? | ||||
| Yes | 82 (88%) | 50 (85%) | 32 (94%) | 0.082 |
| No | 10 (11%) | 9 (15%) | 1 (3%) | |
| Do not know | 1 (1%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (3%) | |
| Motivation | ||||
| Concerned about overdosing | ||||
| Agree | 45 (48%) | 20 (34%) | 25 (74%) | < 0.001 |
| Disagree | 42 (45%) | 35 (59%) | 7 (21%) | |
| Neutral/do not know | 6 (6%) | 4 (7%) | 2 (6%) | |
| Concerned about drugs being contaminated with fentanyl | ||||
| Agree | 65 (70%) | 41 (70%) | 24 (70%) | 0.686 |
| Disagree | 17 (18%) | 12 (20%) | 5 (15%) | |
| Neutral/do not know | 11 (12%) | 6 (10%) | 5 (15%) | |
| Confident have ever used a drug that was laced with fentanyl | ||||
| Agree | 44 (47%) | 21 (35%) | 23 (68%) | 0.010 |
| Disagree | 43 (46%) | 34 (58%) | 9 (26%) | |
| Neutral/do not know | 6 (7%) | 4 (7%) | 2 (6%) | |
| Behavioral Skills | ||||
| In the last 6 months, who is usually around when you are using heroin?a,b | ||||
| I use heroin alone | 32 (74%) | 15 (79%) | 17 (71%) | 0.806 |
| A close friend | 18 (42%) | 7 (37%) | 11 (46%) | 0.573 |
| A casual friend or acquaintance | 16 (37%) | 7 (37%) | 9 (38%) | 0.969 |
| A sex partner | 15 (35%) | 6 (32%) | 9 (38%) | 0.704 |
| Other | 13 (30%) | 5 (26%) | 8 (33%) | 0.641 |
| What do you do to avoid an accidental overdose?a | ||||
| Take smaller amounts | 56 (60%) | 34 (58%) | 22 (65%) | 0.514 |
| Go slow | 55 (59%) | 31 (52%) | 24 (71%) | 0.094 |
| Avoid mixing with other drugs | 46 (49%) | 34 (58%) | 12 (35%) | 0.042 |
| Using with someone else | 46 (49%) | 26 (44%) | 20 (59%) | 0.180 |
| Avoid mixing with alcohol | 39 (42%) | 26 (44%) | 13 (38%) | 0.594 |
| Take a tester | 34 (37%) | 21 (36%) | 13 (38%) | 0.800 |
| Keep Narcan/naloxone nearby | 32 (34%) | 14 (24%) | 18 (53%) | 0.006 |
| Do you know where you can buy or get Narcan/naloxone?c | ||||
| Yes | 53 (57%) | 27 (46%) | 26 (76%) | 0.013 |
| No | 29 (31%) | 23 (39%) | 6 (18%) | |
aCategories are not mutually exclusive
bRestricted to persons who reported heroin use in the past 6 months (n = 43)
cAmong the participants who answered “yes” to “Have you ever heard of naloxone, a medication also known as Narcan?” (n = 82)