Citation

Pandika D, Bailey JA, Oesterle S, Kuklinski MR. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2022; 235: e109442.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2022.109442

PMID

35461085

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether young adult opioid misuse reflects a general tendency toward substance use and is influenced by general substance use risk or whether it is a different phenomenon from other drug use.

METHODS: At ages 23 (2016) and 26 (2019), a panel of young adults (n = 3794 to 3833) in the United States self-reported their past-month substance use (opioid misuse, heavy drinking, cigarettes, cannabis) and substance-specific risk factors (perceptions of harm; approval of use; and use of each substance by friends and romantic partners). Structural equation models examined non-opioid and opioid-specific associations between latent risk and substance use factors.

RESULTS: Opioid misuse and opioid-specific risk factors shared significant variance with latent substance use and latent substance use risk, respectively, which were strongly associated. A statistically significant residual correlation between opioid-specific risk and opioid misuse remained.

CONCLUSION: Young adult opioid misuse reflects a general tendency toward substance use and is strongly predicted by risk for substance use. Opioid-specific risk factors play only a small independent role. Existing evidence-based substance use interventions may be effective in preventing opioid misuse among young adults.

Language: en

Keywords

General substance use; Opioid and substance; Prevention of opioid misuse; Risk for opioid misuse; Young adult opioid misuse