Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Nov;68(11):1176-85.
doi: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.120.

Racial/ethnic variations in substance-related disorders among adolescents in the United States

Li-Tzy Wu  1 , George E Woody, Chongming Yang, Jeng-Jong Pan, Dan G Blazer
Affiliations

Racial/ethnic variations in substance-related disorders among adolescents in the United States

Li-Tzy Wu et al. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2011 Nov.

Abstract

Context: While young racial/ethnic groups are the fastest growing population in the United States, data about substance-related disorders among adolescents of various racial/ethnic backgrounds are lacking.

Objective: To examine the magnitude of past-year DSM-IV substance-related disorders (alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, inhalants, hallucinogens, heroin, analgesic opioids, stimulants, sedatives, and tranquilizers) among adolescents of white, Hispanic, African American, Native American, Asian or Pacific Islander, and multiple race/ethnicity.

Design: The 2005 to 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Setting: Academic research.

Participants: Noninstitutionalized household adolescents aged 12 to 17 years.

Main outcome measures: Substance-related disorders were assessed by standardized survey questions administered using the audio computer-assisted self-interviewing method.

Results: Of 72 561 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years, 37.0% used alcohol or drugs in the past year; 7.9% met criteria for a substance-related disorder, with Native Americans having the highest prevalence of use (47.5%) and disorder (15.0%). Analgesic opioids were the second most commonly used illegal drugs, following marijuana, in all racial/ethnic groups; analgesic opioid use was comparatively prevalent among adolescents of Native American (9.7%) and multiple race/ethnicity (8.8%). Among 27 705 past-year alcohol or drug users, Native Americans (31.5%), adolescents of multiple race/ethnicity (25.2%), adolescents of white race/ethnicity (22.9%), and Hispanics (21.0%) had the highest rates of substance-related disorders. Adolescents used marijuana more frequently than alcohol or other drugs, and 25.9% of marijuana users met criteria for marijuana abuse or dependence. After controlling for adolescents' age, socioeconomic variables, population density of residence, self-rated health, and survey year, adjusted analyses of adolescent substance users indicated elevated odds of substance-related disorders among Native Americans, adolescents of multiple race/ethnicity, adolescents of white race/ethnicity, and Hispanics compared with African Americans; African Americans did not differ from Asians or Pacific Islanders.

Conclusions: Substance use is widespread among adolescents of Native American, white, Hispanic, and multiple race/ethnicity. These groups also are disproportionately affected by substance-related disorders.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest disclosures

GE Woody is a member of the RADARS post-marketing study scientific advisory group, whose job is to assess abuse of prescription medications. Denver Health administers RADARS, and pharmaceutical companies support its work. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
One-year prevalence of substance use disorders (abuse or dependence) among adolescents aged 12–17 years by race or ethnicity (N=72,561). Lines extending from bars indicate 95% confidence intervals of the estimates.
Fig 2
Fig 2
One-year conditional prevalence of substance use disorders (abuse or dependence) among adolescent substance users aged 12–17 years by substance used (N=27,705). Lines extending from bars indicate 95% confidence intervals of the estimates.
Fig 3
Fig 3
Mean number of days using the substance in the past year among adolescent past-year users aged 12–17 years by substance used (N=27,705). Lines extending from bars indicate 95% confidence intervals of the estimates.
Fig 4
Fig 4
One-year conditional prevalence of substance use disorders (abuse or dependence) among adolescent substance users aged 12–17 years by race or ethnicity (N=27,705). Lines extending from bars indicate 95% confidence intervals of the estimates.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Toumbourou JW, Stockwell T, Neighbors C, Marlatt GA, Sturge J, Rehm J. Interventions to reduce harm associated with adolescent substance use. Lancet. 2007;369(9570):1391–1401. - PubMed
    1. Brick J. Handbook of the Medical Consequences of Alcohol and Drug Abuse. New York: The Haworth Press; 2004.
    1. Schuckit MA. Comorbidity between substance use disorders and psychiatric conditions. Addiction. 2006;101 (Suppl 1):76–88. - PubMed
    1. National Institute on Drug Abuse. NIH PubNo. 07-5605. Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2007. [Accessed January 13, 2011.]. Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction. Available at: http://www.drugabuse.gov/ScienceofAddiction/sciofaddiction.pdf.
    1. Brook JS, Richter L, Rubenston E. Consequences of adolescent drug use on psychiatric disorders in early adulthood. Ann Med. 2000;32(6):401–407. - PubMed

Publication types