Prevalence and correlates of DSM-IV substance use disorders in Puerto Rico.

We report the basic findings of a survey aimed at estimating rates of substance disorders in a probability sample of 4,709 household residents aged 15 to 64 years old. Lifetime use of alcohol was reported by 77.2%, and 10.7% reported ever using illicit drugs. Overall, 14.7% of the sample met criteria for a lifetime substance disorder, and 4.9% for a past year disorder. The rates of lifetime disorders were 13.1% for alcohol and 4.1% for illicit drug. Past year abuse/dependence was 4.3% for alcohol and 1.3% for illicit drugs. Alcohol use disorders were associated with male gender, higher family annual income, being employed, and being married. Illicit drug use disorders were associated with male gender and younger age. Only 13.0% of respondents with a past year disorder reported using services for their disorder. A program of continuous monitoring of substance using disorders is critical to establishing and monitoring effective policies.