US Adolescents' and Young Adults' Sources for Prescription Opioid Misuse: Age, Substance Use, and Mental Health Differences.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Medication sources for prescription opioid misuse in US adolescents and young adults may have changed, particularly related to the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined how opioid sources vary across age groups and cohorts and whether links between sources and substance use or mental health vary between age groups.

Methods

Cross sectional nationally representative survey data from the 2015-2019 and 2021-2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health were used. Respondents were interviewed in their homes (2015-19) or via mixed household and web-based survey methods (2021-2022). Participants were 6045 14-25-year-old reporting past-year prescription opioid misuse. Mutually exclusive opioid sources were physicians, purchases, theft, and friends/family for free. Cross-tabulation

SUBMITTER: Schepis TS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12181802 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature