Katherine I Morley1,2,3, Michael T Lynskey1, Paul Moran4, Rohan Borschmann5, Adam R Winstock6,7. 1. National Addictions Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK. 2. Clinical Epidemiology, Farr Institute for Health Informatics Research, University College London, London, UK. 3. Centre for Molecular, Environmental, Genetic and Analytic Epidemiology, Melbourne School of Global and Population Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. 4. Health Services and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK. 5. Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, University of Melbourne, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia. 6. South London and Maudsley NHS Trust/King's College London, London, UK. 7. Global Drug Survey, London, UK.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Polysubstance use is associated with adverse health and social outcomes, but few studies have investigated whether these associations differ between individuals engaged in different patterns of illicit drug and non-prescription medication use. DESIGN AND METHODS: Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify patterns of drug use in the Global Drug Survey, a purposive sample collected in late 2012 and surveyed using an online questionnaire including past-year drug use, sociodemographics, mental illness, involvement in violence and sexual behaviour. The sample analysed (n = 14, 869; median age 27 years; 68.5% male) included those residing in the UK (n = 5869), Australia (n = 6313) and the USA (n = 2687). RESULTS: LCA of cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine, stimulants, nitrous, ketamine, benzodiazepines and opioid painkiller use identified six classes: no polysubstance use (Class 1, 49.1%); cannabis and ecstasy (Class 2, 23.6%); all illicit drugs (Class 3, 9.4%); ecstasy and cocaine (Class 4, 8.3%); cannabis and medication (Class 5, 5.9%); and all drugs (Class 6, 3.8%). Participants diagnosed with anxiety were most likely to belong to Class 5 [odds ratio (OR) 2.66, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.10-3.38]. Violent behaviour was most strongly associated with Class 6 membership (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.36-2.64). Sexual risk-taking also predicted membership of this class (OR 5.79, 95% CI 4.66-7.18) and Class 4 (OR 4.41, 95% CI 3.57-5.43). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Five heterogeneous groups of polysubstance users were identified in this international sample covering the UK, Australia and USA. Anxiety disorders were associated with medication and cannabis use, while high-risk behaviours predicted use of cocaine and ecstasy, or wide-ranging polysubstance use including ketamine and medications.
INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Polysubstance use is associated with adverse health and social outcomes, but few studies have investigated whether these associations differ between individuals engaged in different patterns of illicit drug and non-prescription medication use. DESIGN AND METHODS: Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify patterns of drug use in the Global Drug Survey, a purposive sample collected in late 2012 and surveyed using an online questionnaire including past-year drug use, sociodemographics, mental illness, involvement in violence and sexual behaviour. The sample analysed (n = 14, 869; median age 27 years; 68.5% male) included those residing in the UK (n = 5869), Australia (n = 6313) and the USA (n = 2687). RESULTS: LCA of cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine, stimulants, nitrous, ketamine, benzodiazepines and opioid painkiller use identified six classes: no polysubstance use (Class 1, 49.1%); cannabis and ecstasy (Class 2, 23.6%); all illicit drugs (Class 3, 9.4%); ecstasy and cocaine (Class 4, 8.3%); cannabis and medication (Class 5, 5.9%); and all drugs (Class 6, 3.8%). Participants diagnosed with anxiety were most likely to belong to Class 5 [odds ratio (OR) 2.66, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.10-3.38]. Violent behaviour was most strongly associated with Class 6 membership (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.36-2.64). Sexual risk-taking also predicted membership of this class (OR 5.79, 95% CI 4.66-7.18) and Class 4 (OR 4.41, 95% CI 3.57-5.43). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Five heterogeneous groups of polysubstance users were identified in this international sample covering the UK, Australia and USA. Anxiety disorders were associated with medication and cannabis use, while high-risk behaviours predicted use of cocaine and ecstasy, or wide-ranging polysubstance use including ketamine and medications.
Authors: Meghan E Martz; Lora M Cope; Jillian E Hardee; Sarah J Brislin; Alexander Weigard; Robert A Zucker; Mary M Heitzeg Journal: J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol Date: 2019-08-01 Impact factor: 2.576
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