Social determinants of Illicit Drug Use among Youth: An Examination of Individual, Parent, School, and Legal Factors

Background: Rates of use and abuse of illicit drugs are increasing among youth. The purpose of the present study was to investigate if sex, age, race/ethnicity, authoritarian parenting, lack of positive school experiences, ever received treatment for depression, or legal involvement predict lifetime illicit drug use, past year illicit drug use, and past month illicit drug use among youth nationwide. For the purpose of the present study, illicit drug use includes the use of marijuana, cocaine/crack, heroin, hallucinogens, inhalants, or prescription-type psychotherapeutic drugs (pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives). Methods: The present study consisted of a secondary data analysis of the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) including 17,399 youth from 12 to 17 years of age nationwide. Unadjusted odds ratios were computed via univariate logistic regression analyses. All significant variables revealed by the univariate logistic regression analyses were retained and included in the final multiple logistic regression analyses to identify the percent of variance accounted for by the models. Results: Among youth, 25.3% reported lifetime illicit drug use, 18.9% of youth reported past year illicit drug use, and 10.1% of youth reported past month illicit drug use. Statistically significant predictors for lifetime illicit drug use were age, race/ethnicity, authoritarian parenting, school experiences, and legal involvement. Statistically significant predictors for past year illicit drug use and past month illicit drug use were age, authoritarian parenting, school experiences, ever received treatment for depression, and legal involvement. Conclusions: Recommendations for future studies are included.