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
. 2023 Aug 22;18(8):e0290104.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290104. eCollection 2023.

Sociocultural factors associated with persistent prescription opioid use (PPOU) among Puerto Rican adults in Massachusetts

Inyene E Essien-Aleksi  1 , Yuan Zhang  2 , Ainat Koren  2 , Natalia Palacios  3 , Luis M Falcon  4 , Katherine L Tucker  5
Affiliations

Sociocultural factors associated with persistent prescription opioid use (PPOU) among Puerto Rican adults in Massachusetts

Inyene E Essien-Aleksi et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: Increasing numbers of opioid-overdose deaths have been witnessed among Hispanics and other underserved populations in Massachusetts. Puerto Rican adults (PRs) have a disproportionately higher prevalence of chronic diseases than non-Hispanic White adults-conditions linked to increased prescription opioid use and misuse. Stress indicators, including low acculturation, low social support, and perceived discrimination, have been recognized as correlates of chronic diseases. However, little research has been undertaken on how these socio-cultural factors relate to persistent prescription opioid use among PRs. This study evaluated the prevalence of prescription opioid use and socio-cultural factors associated with persistent prescription opioid use among PRs.

Methods: Data from the prospective population-based Boston Puerto Rican Health Study, at baseline, ~2-year, and ~ 6-year follow-up, were used to estimate prescription opioid use prevalence and its associations with acculturation, social support, and perceived discrimination. Analyses were conducted using multivariable binary logistic regression modeling.

Results: The study sample was comprised of 798 PRs (age 56.5 ± 7.5y) with data at all three-time points. A high prevalence of prescription opioid use was observed and was associated with lower household income. PRs with experiences of perceived discrimination had higher odds of persistent prescription opioid use (y/n; OR = 2.85, 95% CI: 1.46-5.58). No significant associations were found between acculturation, social support, and persistent prescription opioid use.

Conclusion: Our study reported a high prevalence of prescription opioid use in PRs, with persistent prescription opioid use significantly associated with perceived discrimination. Future programs to limit discrimination practices may reduce persistent prescription opioid use and opioid-related complications among PRs.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Adapted Socio-Ecological Model framework for the evaluation of PPOU in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study cohort.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. National Institute on Drug Abuse. Massachusetts: Opioid-Involved Deaths and Related Harms. 2020.
    1. IQVIA. Institute for human data science study: US Prescription opioid volume decline 12 percent in 2018-largest drop in 25 years. 2018.
    1. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No.PEP19-5068, NSDUH Series H-54). Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.2019.
    1. Lippold KM, Jones CM, Olsen EOM, Giroir BP. Racial/ethnic and age group differences in opioid and synthetic opioid–involved overdose deaths among adults aged≥ 18 years in metropolitan areas—United States, 2015–2017. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2019;68(43):967. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH). Opioid-related overdose deaths, all intents, MA residents–demographic data highlights. 2021.

Publication types

Substances