TY - JOUR
T1 - Prevalence and Correlates of Prescription Drug Misuse among a Racially Diverse Sample of Young Sexual Minority Men
AU - Li, Dennis H.
AU - Mustanski, Brian
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health (U01DA036939; PI: Mustanski). The sponsor had no involvement in the conduct of the research or the preparation of the article.
Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright 2018, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. 2018.
PY - 2018/2/1
Y1 - 2018/2/1
N2 - Purpose: Sexual minority men (SMM) are at greater risk than heterosexual men for misusing prescription psychotropic medications. However, community prevalence estimates of prescription drug misuse among young SMM are lacking. The current study described lifetime and past-6-month stimulant, painkiller, and depressant/tranquilizer misuse in a large, racially diverse sample of 967 SMM aged 16-29 in Chicago, Illinois, and investigated demographic and other substance use associations. Methods: Data came from the baseline visit of the RADAR longitudinal cohort study. Associations were examined using bivariate and multivariable logistic regression. Results: A quarter of the sample reported ever misusing any prescription drug, and 14.2% reported recent misuse. Lifetime class-specific misuse was 16.9% for stimulants, 11.0% for painkillers, and 11.4% for depressants/tranquilizers; recent misuse was 8.0%, 5.7%, and 6.2%, respectively. In multivariable analysis, Non-Hispanic black participants had lower odds of lifetime stimulant and depressant/tranquilizer misuse and recent stimulant misuse than non-Hispanic white participants, and bisexual participants had greater odds of lifetime and recent painkiller and depressant/tranquilizer misuse than gay participants. Generally, using other substances was associated with greater odds of prescription drug misuse. Having ever been prescribed a psychotropic medication was associated with higher odds of lifetime painkiller misuse after controlling for covariates. Conclusion: These results provide critical information on a growing public health problem among young SMM. Future research should explore why differential rates of misuse exist across subgroups. New interventions emphasizing the risk of prescription drugs, discouraging drug sharing, and bolstering refusal and coping skills should be developed and evaluated.
AB - Purpose: Sexual minority men (SMM) are at greater risk than heterosexual men for misusing prescription psychotropic medications. However, community prevalence estimates of prescription drug misuse among young SMM are lacking. The current study described lifetime and past-6-month stimulant, painkiller, and depressant/tranquilizer misuse in a large, racially diverse sample of 967 SMM aged 16-29 in Chicago, Illinois, and investigated demographic and other substance use associations. Methods: Data came from the baseline visit of the RADAR longitudinal cohort study. Associations were examined using bivariate and multivariable logistic regression. Results: A quarter of the sample reported ever misusing any prescription drug, and 14.2% reported recent misuse. Lifetime class-specific misuse was 16.9% for stimulants, 11.0% for painkillers, and 11.4% for depressants/tranquilizers; recent misuse was 8.0%, 5.7%, and 6.2%, respectively. In multivariable analysis, Non-Hispanic black participants had lower odds of lifetime stimulant and depressant/tranquilizer misuse and recent stimulant misuse than non-Hispanic white participants, and bisexual participants had greater odds of lifetime and recent painkiller and depressant/tranquilizer misuse than gay participants. Generally, using other substances was associated with greater odds of prescription drug misuse. Having ever been prescribed a psychotropic medication was associated with higher odds of lifetime painkiller misuse after controlling for covariates. Conclusion: These results provide critical information on a growing public health problem among young SMM. Future research should explore why differential rates of misuse exist across subgroups. New interventions emphasizing the risk of prescription drugs, discouraging drug sharing, and bolstering refusal and coping skills should be developed and evaluated.
KW - illicit drugs
KW - painkillers
KW - prescription drugs
KW - sexual minority men
KW - stimulants
KW - substance use
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85042869503&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85042869503&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1089/lgbt.2017.0125
DO - 10.1089/lgbt.2017.0125
M3 - Article
C2 - 29360421
AN - SCOPUS:85042869503
VL - 5
SP - 95
EP - 104
JO - LGBT Health
JF - LGBT Health
SN - 2325-8292
IS - 2
ER -