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Recent experiences of opioid overdose in a community-based sample of post-9/11 US veterans
Methods.We used venue-based and chain referral sampling to recruit opioid-using veterans into an ongoing cohort study of veteran opioid misuse in New York City during 2014-2015. Of those who reported using prescription opioids or heroin in the last month, we asked on how many days they experienced overdose signs and symptoms, using a 7-item Recent Experiences of Overdose Scale we developed for the study. We assessed scale reliability using Cronbach’s alpha.
Results.Preliminary data from 129 opioid-using veterans were available for analysis. Average age was 37 years (range = 21 - 59); 81% were male; 21% reported Hispanic ethnicity; 74% reported Black/African American race, and 19% reported white race. Overall, 32% experienced one or more overdose symptoms on one or more days in the last month after taking opioids; 19% perceived that they “overdosed” (were more sedated or high than they wanted to be); 22% reported others were concerned they may have overdosed; 9% experienced difficulty breathing; 12% collapsed (fell down), 9% lost consciousness; 19% called or had someone else call for assistance; and 2% used or had someone else use naloxone to reverse the opioid effects. Cronbach’s alpha revealed consistency among the items (alpha = 0.84).
Conclusions. Our novel overdose experience scale showed good internal reliability. Signs and symptoms of recent overdose are relatively common among veterans who use opioids. To prevent fatal overdose it is crucial to better understand determinants of overdose experiences. We plan to study associations of overdose experiences with changes in physiological, psychological and social/structural factors over the 2-year course of the study.
Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and preventionEpidemiology
Public health or related public policy
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Describe the frequency of recent overdose signs and symptoms among a community-based sample of veterans of recent US military conflicts who use opioids.
Keyword(s): Veterans' Health, Drug Abuse Prevention and Safety
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Dr. Alex S. Bennett is a Principal Investigator at the National Development and Research Institutes, Inc. (NDRI) in NYC. His current NIDA funded study, âOpioid Misuse and Overdose Risk Patterns among Recent Veteransâ utilizes a longitudinal mixed-methods approach to help determine the environmental, structural, physiological, and psychosocial aspects of opioid use and overdose risk. He has also received a supplemental grant to train veterans in overdose prevention and response and naloxone/Narcan⢠administration.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.