Cohort differences in nonmedical prescription drug use in early and late adolescence: Gender, racial/ethnic, mental health and deviant behavior correlates

Objectives: This study tested for increases in adolescent nonmedical use of prescription drugs (NMPD) and correlates associated with NMPD use in adolescence. Past-year NMPD use was defined as any nonmedical use of opioids, stimulants, sedatives and tranquilizers. We examined cohort effects across time in NMPD use among adolescents aged 12-14 and 15-17 from 2002 to 2007 (e.g., we compared adolescents aged 12-14 years old in 2002 with adolescents that were 15-17 years old in 2005- 03 years later). Method: Secondary analysis of adolescent data (12-17 year-olds) from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) years 2002 (n=17,709) to 2007 (n=17,727). Data was analyzed through descriptive basic contingency tables followed by proportion and 95% CIs, and weighted logistic regression models adjusted for sex, race/ethnicity, mental health treatment, deviant behaviors and sensation-seeking. Results: In 2002, 5.1% of respondents that were 12-14 year old were past-year NMPD users. In 2005, 12% of those that were 15-17 years old (same age cohort) were NMPD users (a 136% increase). Similar patterns of cohort increases in NMPD use were found when comparing data from other years. Past-year NMPD use increases across time were consistently higher among females than males, among Whites versus African-Americans, among those who had received mental health treatment, those with high sensation-seeking and those that engaged in deviant behaviors. Conclusion: Past-year NMPD use greatly increased among adolescent birth cohorts as they aged in the past few years and increases were associated with high sensation-seeking, deviant behaviors and mental health treatment.