Does a harm reduction approach in substance abuse services increase the use of drugs among users or in society?
Ciarelli, Ottavia (2023)
Ciarelli, Ottavia
2023
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202305108925
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202305108925
Tiivistelmä
The purpose of this thesis is to find out if a harm reduction approach in substance abuse services increases the use of drugs among users or society. Harm reduction aims at minimizing the negative effects of using substances, without necessarily reducing the substance use itself and, for this reason, can be considered controversial.
The theoretical framework of this thesis is focused on the concepts of substance abuse with an emphasis on harm reduction, such as its definitions, principles and examples of its implementation in different substance abuse services and practices. Such theoretical background plays a crucial role in understanding the data analysys and final conclusions.
The research methodology used is the qualitative and descriptive literature review and the aim of this thesis is to answer the following research question: ”Does a harm reduction approach in substance abuse services increase the use of drugs among users or in society?”. The data were collected through four different databases, literature review was analyzed by content analysis and eight research articles were chosen to draw up the final results and conclusions.
The research findings have shown that a harm reduction approach in substance abuse services is not linked to an increase in drug use among users or society in general and its contribution in improving health outcomes for people who use drugs.
This literature review is recommended to anyone who is interested in getting a deeper understanding of harm reduction and how this approach is applied in substance abuse services.
The theoretical framework of this thesis is focused on the concepts of substance abuse with an emphasis on harm reduction, such as its definitions, principles and examples of its implementation in different substance abuse services and practices. Such theoretical background plays a crucial role in understanding the data analysys and final conclusions.
The research methodology used is the qualitative and descriptive literature review and the aim of this thesis is to answer the following research question: ”Does a harm reduction approach in substance abuse services increase the use of drugs among users or in society?”. The data were collected through four different databases, literature review was analyzed by content analysis and eight research articles were chosen to draw up the final results and conclusions.
The research findings have shown that a harm reduction approach in substance abuse services is not linked to an increase in drug use among users or society in general and its contribution in improving health outcomes for people who use drugs.
This literature review is recommended to anyone who is interested in getting a deeper understanding of harm reduction and how this approach is applied in substance abuse services.