‘We are the first responders’: overdose response experiences and perspectives among peers in British Columbia

Figures & data

Table 1. Demographic characteristics of adult and youth participants in the study.

	Adults aged 25 years and older (N = 28)	Youth aged 24 years and younger (N = 14)
	n (%)	n (%)
Gender
Cis woman	15 (54%)	6 (43%)
Cis man	10 (36%)	4 (29%)
Trans and gender expansive	0 (0%)	3 (21%)
Not reported	3 (11%)	1 (7%)
Age
16–18	–	3 (21%)
19–24	–	10 (71%)
25–35	9 (32%)	–
36–45	8 (29%)	–
46–55	5 (18%)	–
56+	3 (11%)	–
Not reported	3 (11%)	1 (7%)
Indigenous self-identification
Indigenous	8 (29%)	8 (57%)
Non-Indigenous	17 (61%)	5 (36%)
Unknown	3 (11%)	1 (7%)
Health region
Vancouver coastal	9 (32%)	8 (57%)
Interior	6 (21%)	0 (0%)
Island	5 (18%)	5 (36%)
Fraser	4 (14%)	1 (7%)
Northern	4 (14%)	0 (0%)
Not reported	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Urbanicity
Metropolitan	9 (32%)	8 (57%)
Urban	19 (68%)	4 (29%)
Rural hub	0 (0%)	1 (7%)
Not reported	0 (0%)	1 (7%)
Currently use substances
Opioids only	3 (11%)	2 (14%)
Stimulants only	8 (29%)	2 (14%)
Opioids and stimulants	10 (36%)	3 (21%)
Do not use substances currently	4 (14%)	6 (43%)
Not reported	3 (11%)	1 (7%)

Table 2. Domains and themes from the qualitative interviews.

Domain	Themes
1. Peers’ positioning within the community
2. Expertise of peers in overdose response	a. Formal training and experience in responding to overdoses b. Expertise related to shared lived/living experience d. Peers’ perception of the differences between peers and ESPs
3. Challenges faced by peers responding to overdoses	a. Lack of adequate resources b. Perceived delegitimization of peers’ expertise and interactions between ESPs and peers
4. Secondary trauma among peers

Data availability statement

The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article.