Treatment use and barriers among adolescents with prescription opioid use disorders.
Abstract
This study examined national trends, patterns, correlates, and barriers to substance
abuse treatment use by adolescents aged 12-17 years who met at least one of the past-year
criteria for prescription opioid abuse or dependence (N=1788).Data were from the 2005-2008
National Surveys of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Past-year substance use disorders,
major depression, and treatment use were assessed by audio computer-assisted self-interviewing.About
17% of adolescents with opioid dependence (n=434) and 16% of those with opioid abuse
(n=355) used any substance abuse treatment in the past year compared with 9% of subthreshold
users, i.e., adolescents who reported 1-2 prescription opioid dependence criteria
but no abuse criteria (n=999). Only 4.2% of adolescents with opioid dependence, 0.5%
of those with abuse, and 0.6% of subthreshold users reported a perceived need for
treatment of nonmedical opioid use. Self-help groups and outpatient rehabilitation
were the most commonly used sources of treatment. Few black adolescents used treatment
(medical settings, 3.3%; self-help groups, 1.7%) or reported a need for treatment
(1.8%). Talking to parents/guardians about dangers of substance use increased the
odds of treatment use. Barriers to treatment use included "wasn't ready to stop substance
use," "didn't want others to find out," and "could handle the problem without treatment."Adolescents
with prescription opioid use disorders markedly underutilize treatment. Non-financial
barriers are pervasive, including stigma and a lack of perceived treatment need.
Type
Journal articleSubject
HumansOpioid-Related Disorders
Ambulatory Care
Health Surveys
Cross-Sectional Studies
Adolescent Behavior
Depressive Disorder
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Adolescent
Child
Self-Help Groups
Health Services Accessibility
United States
Female
Male
Prescription Drugs
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/19989Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1016/j.addbeh.2011.07.033Publication Info
Wu, Li-Tzy; Blazer, Dan G; Li, Ting-Kai; & Woody, George E (2011). Treatment use and barriers among adolescents with prescription opioid use disorders.
Addictive behaviors, 36(12). pp. 1233-1239. 10.1016/j.addbeh.2011.07.033. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/19989.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Daniel German Blazer
J. P. Gibbons Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry
I am currently semi-retired. Most of my recent work has been focused on roles with
the National Academy of Medicine (former Institute of Medicine). I have chaired three
committees during the past four years, one on the mental health and substance use workforce,
one on cognitive aging, and one on hearing loss in adults. I currently also chair
the Board on the Health of Select Populations for the National Academies. In the past
I have been PI on a number of research
Ting-Kai Li
Professor Emeritus in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
This author no longer has a Scholars@Duke profile, so the information shown here reflects
their Duke status at the time this item was deposited.
Li-Tzy Wu
Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Education/Training: Pre- and post-doctoral training in mental health service research,
psychiatric epidemiology (NIMH T32), and addiction epidemiology (NIDA T32) from Johns
Hopkins University School of Public Health (Maryland); Fellow of the NIH Summer Institute
on the Design and Conduct of Randomized Clinical Trials.Director: Duke Community Based
Substance Use Disorder Research Program.Research interests: COVID-19, Opioid misuse,
Opioid overdose, Opioid use disorder
Alphabetical list of authors with Scholars@Duke profiles.

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