Association of childhood abuse and prescription opioid use in early adulthood

- 5.4% of young adults reported recent prescription opioid use.
- Childhood abuse was significantly associated with recent prescription opioid use.
- Understanding upstream determinants of prescription opioid use informs prevention.

IntroductionPrevious research has examined the association of childhood abuse with opioid misuse and dependence in adulthood. However, little research has focused specifically on prescription opioids, and no studies have examined associations with prescription opioid use, a potential pathway to later opioid misuse and dependence. The aim of the present study was to examine the association of childhood emotional, physical, and sexual abuse with prescription opioid use in early adulthood.MethodsWe used data from Waves I (12-18 years) and IV (24-32 years) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. At Wave IV, respondents reported experiences of childhood abuse occurring prior to age 18 years and prescription opioid use in the last four weeks. We conducted multivariable logistic regression to examine associations of childhood abuse with recent prescription opioid use.ResultsIn multivariable models adjusted for respondent sex, race/ethnicity, age, and socioeconomic status, childhood emotional abuse (OR = 1.57, 95% CI 1.29, 1.90), physical abuse (OR = 1.46, 95% CI 1.14, 1.87), and any childhood abuse (OR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.24, 1.82) were significantly associated with recent prescription opioid use.ConclusionsGiven continued increases in prescription opioid use and opioid-related morbidity and mortality in the U.S., understanding upstream social and environmental factors associated with prescription opioid use is important to strengthening and expanding current prevention and intervention strategies. Future research is needed to examine factors potentially mediating the association between childhood abuse and prescription opioid use in order to provide additional insights for prevention and intervention efforts.