@article{ref1,
title="Declines in adolescent substance use after the COVID-19 pandemic onset: the role of initiation in grades 7 and 9",
journal="Journal of Adolescent Health",
year="2023",
author="Miech, Richard and Patrick, Megan E. and Keyes, Katherine",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="PURPOSE: To examine if the record declines in adolescent substance use after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted from reduced levels of initiation, defined as any lifetime use. <br><br>METHODS: We analyzed data from the nationally representative, cross-sectional, annual Monitoring the Future surveys of eighth, 10th, and 12th grade students from 2019 to 2022. Measures included past 12-month use of cannabis, nicotine vaping, and alcohol as well as self-reported grade of initiation of each substance. Analyses are based on randomly selected subsamples of students who received questions on both prevalence and grade of first use, resulting in a total sample size of 96,990 students. <br><br>RESULTS: Levels of the past 12-month substance use were markedly lower after the onset of the pandemic, in 2021 and 2022. In eighth and 10th grade, levels were at least one-third lower for cannabis and nicotine vaping and 13%-31% lower for alcohol. In 12th grade, the decreases ranged from 9% to 23%. Lower levels of initiation in seventh grade in 2020-2021 accounted for half or more of the overall prevalence decreases in eighth grade in 2021- 2022. Lower levels of initiation in ninth grade in 2020-2021 accounted for 45% or more of the overall prevalence decreases in 10th grade in 2021-2022. Declines in 12th grade substance use prevalence were not consistently linked to lower initiation in earlier grades. <br><br>DISCUSSION: Much of the declines in overall prevalence of adolescent substance use after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic trace back specifically to declines in substance use initiation in seventh and ninth grades.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1054-139X",
doi="10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.05.033",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.05.033"
}