Illicit drug use among adolescents and young adults with impairments in the US: A cross-sectional analysis of the National Survey on Drug Use And Health.

Adolescents and adults with impairments (mobility, cognitive, hearing, vision, self-care, or communication) in the US are more than twice as likely to use illicit drugs as those without impairments. Among emerging adults, hallucinogens were the most commonly used drug in the past year, with 12.8% of those with impairments reporting use compared to 7.1% of those without. People with impairments first tried an illicit drug at an average age of 16.2 years, significantly younger than the average of 18.1 years for peers without impairments. The findings suggest that disability status is associated with elevated and earlier illicit drug use.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The purpose of this cross-sectional analysis is to compare the degree to which adolescents and adults with and without impairments in the US engage in illicit drug use. This cross-sectional study utilized data from the 2022 National Survey of Drug Use and Health. Impairment status (mobility, cognitive, hearing, vision, self-care, and communication impairments), illicit drug use (cocaine, crack, heroin, hallucinogens, LSD, ecstasy and molly, inhalants, and methamphetamine), and demographic variables were measured using self-report. Weighted prevalence estimates for illicit drug use across each category were provided. Group differences in drug prevalence between individuals with and without impairments were examined, then logistic regressions estimated crude and adjusted odds of drug use among impairment groups by age. Prevalence of use and age of first time use for illicit drugs were explored across impairment type. The sample comprised of 35,921 individuals, with an estimate of 12.9 % experiencing at least one impairment. Among emerging adults, hallucinogens were the highest reported used drug in the past year, with a significantly higher percentage of those with impairments (12.8 %, 95 % CI: 1.5, 9.6), compared to adults without impairments (7.1 %, 95 % CI: 6.3, 8.0), reporting recent use. Individuals with impairments (mean = 16.2 years) were significantly younger when they first tried an illicit drug compared to peers (mean = 18.1 years). Overall, individuals with impairments were more than twice as likely to engage in illicit drug use compared to counterparts. People with impairments were younger, on average, when they first tried any illicit drugs.