Table 1.
Demographic information, psychopathology, trait measures, substance use severity (means and standard deviations), and percentages of novel psychoactive and comorbid polysubstance use in the past 90 days by group.
| Control group n = 35 | Recreational group n = 27 | Treatment-seeking group n = 20 | Statistic, p-value, effect size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||||
| Age (years) | 26.43 (6.84) | 25.11 (3.90) | 28.95 (5.11) | F(2,79) = 2.73, p = 0.07, η2 = 0.07 |
| IQ (NART) | 116.17 (6.20) | 117.00 (6.79) | 114.10 (7.55) | F(2,79) = 1.10, p = 0.34, η2 = 0.03 |
| Education (years) | 15.20 (2.18) | 14.78 (2.03) | 14.15 (1.81) | F(2,79) = 1.68, p = 0.19, η2 = 0.04 |
| In work or education (%) | 100% | 96% | 40% | X2 = 38.80, p < 0.001, V = 0.69 |
| Psychopathology | ||||
| Trait Anxiety (STAI-T) | 38.86 (10.78) | 39.32 (10.69) | 54.00 (11.11) | F(2, 77) = 14.29, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.27 |
| Depression (BDI-II) | 6.69 (7.67) | 9.20 (8.65) | 22.37 (13.35) | F(2, 76) = 17.27, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.31 |
| ADHD symptoms (ARSC) | 1.97 (1.60) | 1.92 (1.61) | 4.05 (1.39) | F(2, 76) = 13.20, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.26 |
| Childhood adversity (CTQ) | 43.91 (10.83) | 48.76 (15.58) | 63.74 (6.67) | F(2, 76) = 17.59, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.32 |
| Impulsiveness/sensation seeking | ||||
| Impulsivity (BIS-11) | 60.11 (11.15) | 64.52 (9.39) | 73.15 (8.04) | F(2, 77) = 11.01, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.22 |
| Sensation seeking (SSS-V total) | 19.56 (6.95) | 26.72 (4.67) | 25.58 (5.03) | F(2, 75) = 12.65, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.25 |
| Thrill/adventure seeking | 6.24 (2.19) | 6.88 (2.71) | 6.63 (2.52) | F(2,75) = 0.41, p = 0.67, η2 = 0.01 |
| Disinhibition | 4.26 (2.57) | 7.04 (1.67) | 6.95 (2.04) | F(2, 75) = 14.94, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.29 |
| Experience seeking | 6.03 (1.75) | 8.24 (1.69) | 7.79 (1.58) | F(2, 75) = 14.00, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.27 |
| Boredom susceptibility | 3.03 (1.75) | 4.56 (1.66) | 4.21 (1.81) | F(2, 75) = 12.65, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.14 |
| Substance use severity | ||||
| Age of first NPS use (years) | 20.33 (3.22) | 21.00 (5.86) | t(45) = 0.50, p = 0.62, η2 = 0.01 | |
| Alcohol use (AUDIT) | 3.91 (2.44) | 5.70 (3.45) | 11.40 (9.41) | F(2, 79) = 13.13, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.25 |
| Cannabis use (CUDIT-R) | 0.00 (0.00) | 4.19 (3.54) | 8.20 (7.34) | F(2, 79) = 25.82, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.40 |
| Nicotine use (FTND) | 0.37 (1.01) | 0.37 (1.26) | 1.60 (2.19) | F(2, 79) = 5.27, p = 0.01, η2 = 0.19 |
| Drug-sharing behavior (%) | 19% | 53% | X2 = 5.91, p = 0.02, V = 0.36 | |
| Drug-injecting behavior (%) | 11% | 37% | X2 = 4.34, p = 0.04, V = 0.31 | |
| Novel psychoactive substance use (% past 90 days) | ||||
| Ketamine | 5.7% | 60% | ||
| Nitrous oxide | 44.4% | 10% | ||
| Mephedrone | 7.4% | 30% | ||
| 2C (2CB, 2CE) | 29.6% | 10% | ||
| 1-propionyl-lysergic acid diethylamide | 25.9% | 0% | ||
| Synthetic cannabinoids | 3.7% | 20% | ||
| Gamma Hydroxybutyrate | 0% | 15% | ||
| Methoxetamine | 0% | 15% | ||
| Alkyl nitrites (poppers) | 14.8% | 0% | ||
| Ethylphenidate | 0% | 10% | ||
| Salvia divinorum | 0% | 10% | ||
| 25I-NBOMe | 0% | 10% | ||
| Kratom (Mitragyna specios) | 7.4% | 0% | ||
| Methylone | 0% | 5% | ||
| Kratom | 0% | 5% | ||
| Other psychedelics not specified | 0% | 5% | ||
| Methoxydine | 3.7% | 0% | ||
| Dimethyltryptamine | 3.7% | 0% | ||
| Kava | 3.7% | 0% | ||
| Kanna | 3.7% | 0% | ||
| Comorbid polysubstance use (% past 90 days) | ||||
| Alcohol | 100% | 85% | ||
| Cocaine | 18.5% | 80% | ||
| Cannabis | 66.6% | 55% | ||
| Diazepam | 7.4% | 65% | ||
| Ecstasy | 33.3% | 35% | ||
| Amphetamine | 14.8% | 40% | ||
| Methamphetamine | 0% | 10% | ||
| Crack cocaine | 0% | 10% | ||
| Heroin | 0% | 10% | ||
| Lysergic acid diethylamide | 3.7% | 5% |
NART, National Adult Reading Test; AUDIT, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test; CUDIT-R, Cannabis Use Disorder Identification Test-Revised; FTND, Fagerström Test of Nicotine Dependence; BDI-II, Beck Depression Inventory; STAI, Spielberger Trait Anxiety Inventory; ARSC, Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale; CTQ, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, BIS-11, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale; SSS-V, Sensation Seeking Scale. Bold indicates p < 0.05.