Relationship between depression and the initiation of ATOD use among adolescents aged 12-17 in the United States

Background: Adolescence is a time of enormous physical, emotional, social and psychological transition. Depression is the most common mental health problem among adolescents. In 2006, there were 3.2 million youths (12.8 percent of the population aged 12-17) who reported at least one major depressive episode (MDE) in their lifetime and 2.0 million youths (7.9 percent) who had MDE during the past year. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between depression measured by MDE and the initiation of ATOD use among adolescents. Data: This research uses 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The NSDUH 2006 survey includes questions for adolescents to assess past year MDE and their use of ATOD during 12 months prior to the interview. Results: Logistic regression results show adolescents aged 12-17 who experienced a past year MDE were more likely to have initiated substance use than their counterparts who had not experienced a past year MDE. Results also show, among adolescents who were at risk for alcohol initiation (i.e., those who had never used alcohol previously), those who experienced a past year MDE were twice as likely to have initiated alcohol use in the past year as those who did not have a past year MDE. Among adolescents who were at risk for illicit drug initiation, those who experienced a past year MDE were over twice as likely to have initiated use of an illicit drug as those who had not experienced an MDE in the past year.