Prescription Pain Medication Misuse with and Without Heroin Use Among Adolescents: relationships with Routine Healthcare, Family Support, Academic Performance, Violence, and Other Risky Behaviors.

BACKGROUND

Opioid misuse is a public health crisis in the United States and globally, impacting adolescents. Prescription pain medication misuse (PPMM) may promote transitioning to heroin use (HU). Understanding relationships between types of opioid misuse (PPMM with and without HU) and seemingly positive (e.g., routine healthcare participation, family support, academic performance) and negative (e.g., violent and other risky behaviors) measures can help address these concerns.

OBJECTIVES

The current study explored PPMM and HU in high-school students, focusing on factors such as routine healthcare participation, family support, and academic performance, and violent and risky behaviors.

METHODS

Using the Youth Risk Behavior Survey data, we compared adolescents misusing prescription pain medications with and without HU and those without either, using chi-square analyses and adjusted odds ratios to understand their relationships with positive and negative measures.

RESULTS

Of 1931 high-school respondents, 180 (8.8%) reported PPMM without HU (PPMM+), 28 (1.4%) reported HU with PPMM (PPMM/HU+), and 1723 (89.80%) reported no PPMM or HU (PPMM-). Adjusted models showed PPMM+ adolescents had lower odds of strong family support and higher odds of specific violent and risky behaviors compared to PPMM-. PPMM/HU+ versus PPMM+ respondents showed lower odds of healthcare participation, family support, and academic performance, and higher odds of specific violent and risky behaviors. Differences were particularly robust between PPMM/HU+ and PPMM- adolescents.

CONCLUSION

Findings suggest PPMM+ and PPMM/HU+ correlate with negative health and functioning in adolescents. Addressing HU requires focusing on specific measures including healthcare utilization, academic performance, and risky behaviors.