Nonmedical use of prescription medications: A longitudinal analysis with adolescents involved in child welfare

This study evaluated a sample of 1005 adolescents involved in the child welfare system, looking for risk and protective factors in their nonmedical use of prescription medications. It comprised a secondary data analysis of longitudinal records extracted from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW), and it employed generalized estimating equations. Its multivariate results indicate that such use of medications in the past 30 days was (a) associated positively with misuse of prescribed drugs prior to NSCAW participation and with time involved in the child welfare system, as well; but (b) associated negatively with parental monitoring and feeling close to parents. Implications for services and research are discussed.

► Secondary data analysis of a national longitudinal child welfare data set.
► Adolescent's current misuse of medications increased with prior lifetime misuse.
► The likelihood of misuse was reduced by parental monitoring and closeness to parent.
► The likelihood was positively associated with time spent in child welfare.