Table 3.
Comparisons of substance use and service utilisation between participants who reported childhood learning problems or disability (LD-Yes; n=133) and those who did not (LD-No; n=364)†
| Variable | Total sample | LD-No | LD-Yes | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N (%) | N (%) | N (%) | ||
| Substance use (past month) | ||||
| IV drug use | 88 (18) | 53 (15) | 35 (27) | 0.003* |
| Daily substance use (including alcohol) | 143 (29) | 91 (25) | 52 (39) | 0.002* |
| Daily drug use (no alcohol) | 126 (25) | 78 (21) | 48 (36) | 0.001*** |
| Daily hard drug use (no alcohol, no marijuana) | 74 (15) | 45 (12) | 29 (22) | 0.009* |
| Daily alcohol use | 26 (5) | 17 (5) | 9 (7) | 0.367 |
| Polysubstance use (no alcohol) | 188 (38) | 128 (35) | 60 (45) | 0.050* |
| Age first drunk (<14 years) | 212 (45) | 142 (42) | 70 (56) | 0.007* |
| Age of first drug use (<14 years) | 178 (40) | 114 (35) | 64 (52) | 0.001*** |
| Sold drugs | 50 (10) | 32 (9) | 18 (14) | 0.140 |
| Shop-lifting | 62 (13) | 34 (10) | 28 (21) | 0.001*** |
| Service use (past 6 months) | ||||
| Psychiatrist | 134 (27) | 109 (30) | 25 (19) | 0.013* |
| Addiction counselor | 18 (4) | 10 (3) | 8 (6) | 0.084** |
| Seen by a health/social service provider | 384 (78) | 276 (76) | 108 (82) | 0.204 |
| Talked with a health/social service provider | 112 (23) | 69 (19) | 43 (32) | 0.002* |
| ER visit (yes/no) | 281 (58) | 204 (57) | 77 (60) | 0.594 |
| Multiple ER visits (three or more) | 107 (22) | 71 (20) | 36 (28) | 0.058** |
| Ambulance (yes/no) | 195 (40) | 147 (41) | 48 (36) | 0.381 |
| Police detention (yes/no) | 80 (19) | 61 (19) | 19 (17) | 0.610 |
| Arrested (yes/no) | 172 (36) | 124 (35) | 48 (38) | 0.603 |
| Multiple arrests (two or more) | 75 (16) | 48 (14) | 27 (21) | 0.044* |
| Court appearance | 172 (35) | 127 (36) | 45 (35) | 0.932 |
| Justice program | 48 (11) | 30 (9) | 18 (16) | 0.076** |
*p≤0.05
** p≤0.10
***p≤0.001.
†Each multivariable model was controlled for age (continuous), age of first homelessness (continuous), gender, ethnicity (Aboriginals, Caucasian, other), marital status (Single vs other) and language spoken in childhood home (English vs other).
ER, emergency room.