Citation

Hu MC, Griesler P, Wall M, Kandel DB. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2017; 177: 237-243.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA; New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA; Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA. Electronic address: dbk2@cumc.columbia.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.03.024

PMID

28622626

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To estimate age-related patterns in nonmedical prescription opioid (NMPO) use in the US population and disorder among past-year users at ages 12-34 between 2002 and 2014, controlling for period and birth-cohort effects.

METHODS: Data are from 13 consecutive cross-sectional National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (N=542,556). Synthetic longitudinal cohorts spanning ages 12-34 were created and an age-period-cohort analysis was implemented based on the Intrinsic Estimator algorithm.

RESULTS: In every birth cohort, past-year NMPO use increases during adolescence, peaks at ages 18-21, decreases through ages 30-34; disorder among past-year users increases from ages 18-21 through 30-34. Use at ages 12-34 decreased from the 1984-87 birth cohorts to more recently-born cohorts. Peak prevalence of use at ages 18-21 has also decreased, and the rates of increase from ages 14-17 to ages 18-21 are slowing down. Disorder at ages 18-34 increased from the 1976-79 to 1992-95 cohorts, but decreased at ages 12-17 from the 1992-95 to the most recently-born 2000-02 cohorts. The years 2010-2014 were characterized by lower NMPO use but higher disorder than 2002-2009.

CONCLUSIONS: Increasing NMPO disorder among users aged 18-34 warrants concern. However, declining NMPO use among 12-34 year-olds, a declining rate of increase from adolescence to early adulthood, and a suggestive decline in disorder among the most recent adolescent cohorts may forecast a potential reduction in the public health crisis associated with NMPO drugs.

Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Age-period-cohort analysis; National Survey on Drug Use and Health; Nonmedical prescription opioid use; Nonmedical prescription opioid use disorder; Years 2002–2014