Washington University Department of Psychiatry, Campus Box 8134, 660 S. Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
Washington University Department of Psychiatry, Campus Box 8134, 660 S. Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
Drug Alcohol Depend. 2020 Jan 1;206:107618. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.107618. Epub 2019 Nov 2.
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Adolescents and young adults have the highest rates of opioid use, and despite shared risk-factors such as mental health and social pressures, there is little information on the relationship between education and opioid use disorder. In this study, we sought to assess differences in educational attainment between opioid users and the general population, and the impact of opioid use on one's education.
Patients (N = 14,349) entering opioid treatment programs across the United States were surveyed on educational attainment from 2010 to 2018. Data were compared to estimates from an annual survey administered by the US Census. A follow-up sub-set of opioid users (N = 240) was interviewed to add context and expand on the structured survey.
Nearly one-third (32.2%) of the US population is estimated to have earned a bachelor's/advanced degree, compared to just 7.8% of treatment-seeking opioid users. Over half of follow-up respondents (57.5%) reported initiating regular opioid use while attending an educational institution. The majority (68.0%) also indicated opioids negatively impacted their education, with drug-seeking behavior prioritized over attendance and academic performance. Perceived benefits included cognitive enhancement and therapeutic value for anxiety/depression.
Our data suggest that opioid users achieve lower levels of education, which may result in both individual and economic costs. Prevention programs need to not only include education-specific risk factors (e.g., social norms), but underlying precipitators such as mental health, stigma, and the myth of risk-free cognitive enhancement. Opioid specific services should be available and disseminated to student populations, including certification of campus physicians to provide buprenorphine maintenance.
背景/目的：青少年和年轻人的阿片类药物使用率最高，尽管存在心理健康和社会压力等共同的风险因素，但关于教育与阿片类药物使用障碍之间的关系的信息很少。在这项研究中，我们试图评估阿片类药物使用者和普通人群之间在受教育程度方面的差异，以及阿片类药物使用对一个人教育的影响。
2010 年至 2018 年期间，在美国各地进入阿片类药物治疗项目的患者（N=14349）接受了关于教育程度的调查。数据与美国人口普查局每年进行的调查估计数进行了比较。对一组随访的阿片类药物使用者（N=240）进行了访谈，以增加背景信息并扩展结构化调查。
据估计，美国近三分之一（32.2%）的人口拥有学士/高级学位，而接受治疗的阿片类药物使用者中只有 7.8%。超过一半的随访受访者（57.5%）报告在参加教育机构时开始定期使用阿片类药物。大多数（68.0%）人也表示阿片类药物对他们的教育产生了负面影响，为了寻求药物而忽视了出勤和学业成绩。认为有好处包括认知增强和治疗焦虑/抑郁的价值。
我们的数据表明，阿片类药物使用者的受教育程度较低，这可能会导致个人和经济成本。预防计划不仅需要包括教育特定的风险因素（例如社会规范），还需要包括心理健康、耻辱感和风险免费认知增强的神话等潜在引发因素。应该向学生群体提供阿片类药物特定的服务，包括认证校园医生以提供丁丙诺啡维持治疗。
