Abstract
Alcohol use declined and use of nicotine and misuse of prescriptions increased among 10–14‐year‐olds during the pandemic, according to a study published last week. Overall, the rate of drug use among these young people remained stable during the pandemic based on repeated surveys of more than 7,800 people ages 10 to 14 conducted between Sep. 2019 and Aug. 2020.
Alcohol use declined and use of nicotine and misuse of prescriptions increased among 10–14‐year‐olds during the pandemic, according to a study published last week. Overall, the rate of drug use among these young people remained stable during the pandemic based on repeated surveys of more than 7,800 people ages 10 to 14 conducted between Sep. 2019 and Aug. 2020.
The young people most likely to use substances were those who experienced pandemic‐related severe stress, depression or anxiety, or whose families experienced material hardship during the pandemic, according to the study in the Journal of Adolescent Health. The study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and nine other institutes, centers, and offices that are part of the National Institutes of Health, using data from the ongoing Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.
“The past year has been difficult, and adolescents have experienced a year of turmoil and stress in [the] precarious space between childhood and adulthood. Recognizing how the stress of the past year translates into substance use has profound implications into adulthood, because drinking and drug use at these ages are associated with a substantially higher risk of long‐term alcohol and drug use disorders and related harms,” said NIDA Director Nora D. Volkow, M.D., in announcing the study on Aug. 24. “Because the ABCD Study had already been following this diverse, young population, researchers were able to make direct comparisons between trends in substance use before and during the pandemic, emphasizing the value of investing in long‐term, collaborative research projects.”
It had already been found that older adolescents' substance use also held steady, or even declined, during the pandemic. However, no data existed on the pandemic's effect on younger adolescents.
To fill this gap, the research team conducted three surveys in the 6 months following the initiation of stay‐at‐home orders — in May, Jun., and Aug. 2020 — with more than 7,800 ABCD Study participants ages 10 to 14 and their families participating in at least one survey. They assessed the adolescents' use of alcohol, nicotine products, cannabis, and other drugs; misuse of prescription drugs; and numerous general and pandemic‐related factors that could influence substance use.
The study found that overall substance use in this age group remained relatively stable across the three surveys and occurred infrequently. Across all three surveys:
8% of the adolescents reported any substance use in the past 30 days.
Alcohol and nicotine use were most common (3.4% and 3.6% of the adolescents, respectively).
Rates of misuse of prescription drugs and use of cannabis, inhalants, or other drugs were low (1.1% of adolescents or less).
Most youth reported using only one substance and only on 1 to 2 days per month.
The researchers also found that youth stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms were all positively associated with the use of any substance, and that several pandemic‐related factors increased adolescents' likelihood of substance use. For example, youth who reported feeling “extreme” stress from the uncertainty associated with the pandemic were 2.4 times more likely to use any substance than youth who reported “very slight” stress.
“These data suggest substance use during the pandemic was concentrated among youth from the most vulnerable families, underscoring the need to provide support to those young people and their families,” said William E. Pelham, Ph.D., of the University of California, San Diego, who led the study. “But we should also look forward, beyond the 2020 data, to understand how alcohol and drug use will continue to evolve as people return to school and work. By continuing to follow these young people for five or six more years through the ABCD Study, we can help determine the pandemic's full impact on America's youth and care for their health and well‐being.”
The authors note that the study does not directly test or explain why the changes in the drug use occurred, and additional analyses are needed to determine the mechanisms underlying these trends.
Pelham WE, Tapert SF, Gonzalez MR, et al. Early adolescent substance use before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A longitudinal survey in the ABCD study cohort. J Adolesc Health 2021 Sep; 69(3):390–397. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.06.015.