« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
Chapter 2: Methodology
A case-study approach
A case-study approach was taken to provide a snapshot of the nature of existing low-level heroin markets in three areas. Also included was an examination of associated drug-related harms in the surrounding community and the intended (and unintended) consequences of enforcement and other activity to counter the markets.
A list of areas for inclusion was formulated based on levels of identified drug-related harms. This was not purely a quantitative exercise, but one influenced by the perceived general reputation of the areas and available statistics. In choosing the three case-study areas from this list two factors were paramount: the willingness of local services to participate in a lengthy research process, and the areas' socio-economic and demographic characteristics.
To provide a detailed and varying picture of experiences in Scotland the areas chosen were distinctly different. As there were no real systematic sampling criteria, the selection of our case-study areas may contain sample bias. A different picture may have been drawn from our findings if other areas had been chosen. The purpose of the report was not to gain a representative sample of the drug-related harms that stem from the existence of heroin markets in Scotland but to 'paint' a local picture of the experience of three differing areas.
The study ran for a period of six months from May 2004.
Data collection
The three areas were chosen based on the level of local willingness amongst service providers to participate in the research. From the respective Drug and Alcohol Action Teams' Consultation and Corporate Action Plans, and through searching national databases we were able to get a good idea of the main service providers in each area. In all three areas this included a mix of voluntary and statutory services.
'Low threshold' services were targeted, as it was felt this would provide a diverse sample framework, based on their likelihood of being accessed by a broad cross-section of service users. However, choice was limited by the differing levels of service provision in the three areas, particularly with regard to criminal justice interventions. In some cases it was difficult to gain responses from services, despite repeated and varied methods of contact. Our sample frameworks for both professionals and service users were limited as a result.
To build-up a picture of the three case study areas, differing semi-structured interview schedules were formulated, tailored towards the particular sample population. The schedule for users and user/dealers, for example focussed upon the buying and selling of heroin, whilst that for the community asked about the harms resulting from these activities. In doing this we assumed that lay people may be able to identify major increases in drug use (and associated harms) but not minor fluctuations when compared to users and dealers 25.
Local professionals, including the police were asked a series of core questions about the nature of the markets and a number of questions specific to their role and working history in the area.
The sample populations
Users and user/dealers
To provide a detailed picture of the characteristics of heroin markets and the direct related harms stemming from being involved in the buying and selling of heroin, we interviewed a number of users and user/dealers. These individuals were seen as vital to an understanding of the market and the scope and scale of the intended and unintended effects from treatment and enforcement interventions.
Users and user/dealers were recruited initially through a range of voluntary and statutory services. Services were asked to participate in the study by displaying informative material, with staff members actively introducing the scheme to service users prior to a researcher's visit. Drop-ins were also held for researchers to canvass for possible interviewees. 'Snowballing' subsequently took place from initial contacts (where possible) to access those not in contact with services. All of those interviewed were asked to read a leaflet about the nature of the study and to sign an appropriate consent form.
Care was taken that those interviewed did not form a particular group through the deployment of appropriate research methods. In Tannochbrae a local voluntary service invited both users and community members to partake in the research. This approach was not undertaken in the other two study areas.
In each area we interviewed a number of user/dealers, contacted through various services. We did not feel that we gained information from any dealer/users, but by having user/dealers as well as users sharing their views we were able, using our data framework, to build a fuller picture of the markets. We found that male heroin users, predominantly in their twenties formed the majority of respondents interviewed 26. This may reflect both the individuals taking the drug, and those who present to services.
Community
To understand the nature and scale of related harms from the buying and selling of heroin within a neighbourhood we looked to interview a wide ranging number of individuals. We therefore approached a number of differing types of local services to gauge interest for participation. We were not looking for a representative sample, but as many interviewees, and thus viewpoints as possible. It was felt necessary to adopt this approach, to try within the time constraints of the report, to gain the detailed level of information that we were seeking.
In each case-study area the number of community interviews was low 27. A questionnaire survey may have increased the number of respondents, but it would not have produced the level of information we required to build an adequate local picture. A general denial of the availability of illicit drugs was felt to have hindered involvement and reduced the number of community respondents willing to take part.
Parents/carers
By interviewing parents/carers in addition to community members we were able to gather information from differing angles. Community members focussed upon the perceived effect of drug use on the area as a whole, with little information (other than hearsay) on the markets. Parents/carers we found occupied a unique position as they gave their experiences of having a family member currently or previously involved with drugs, and how this occurrence had changed their views towards the subject. This was particularly so in Fishton where parents/carers recruited through a local church felt that people who are not directly affected by drug use are extremely judgemental as they focus on the perceived negative effects stemming from an individual's use. Even with our small sample sizes a number of unique views were gained.
Professionals
In addition to this we also spoke to Drug and Alcohol Action Team ( DAAT) co-ordinators in all three areas, in order to gain their views on the nature and extent of multi-agency planning / working from their perspectives. These interviews also explored the DAAT's role in co-ordinating / facilitating multi-agency working and where possible how effective this seemed to be.
We built on contact already established with treatment services and with the police in each area. Each agency was asked to nominate representatives to take part in the research. The police, for example, gave the contact details for a number of officers, both those within operational roles and those involved with strategic planning.
All professionals (including police) were asked a series of core questions about the nature of the drug markets, although there was a great deal of variety regarding how able they were to answer these questions. They were also asked a series of questions specific to their role and working history in the area.
Data analysis
A standard framework for coding the different levels and types of information was used as the basis for analysis. We looked to divide respondents' comments into the categories of 'direct experience', 'second-hand experience' and 'hearsay' 28.
The information subsequently gained from the differing interview schedules was not treated equally due to the varying levels and sources of information about the buying and selling of heroin and its availability. Our analytical framework generally placed the views of users and user/dealers above those of the wider community, as it was much more likely that they had direct, first-hand experience of the local market. By tailoring interview schedules and by creating an analytical framework it was hoped that a degree of robustness could be added to this process. It is not without its limitations, but it is also an approach that values the views on community members where they also have first-hand experience - on drug-related crime, for instance. It looks to provide information in a form that best illustrates identified themes about the nature and effect of heroin markets, and about the interventions to counter them. We do not look to take a particular position, but to present the information on a particular theme from all sources.
« Previous | Contents | Next »