Populations at risk The behaviors that lead to prescription drug abuse do not discriminate. Everyone is at risk of abusing prescription drugs, regardless of geographic location, socioeconomic status, or ethnicity. Despite this universal danger, however, studies have shown that certain groups of people are more at risk than others for abusing or misusing prescription drugs. The following populations are particularly vulnerable to the risk of prescription drug abuse: teens, college students, military personnel and families, the elderly, Native Americans and Alaska Natives, people with disorders in addition to drug abuse, and those with abusive tendencies. Gender differences also affect the likelihood of abuse. Teens According to NIDA (2018i), among adolescents aged 12 to 17 in the year 2017, 4.9% reported the nonmedical use of prescription drugs in the past year. After alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco, prescription drugs were the most commonly used substances by seniors in high school, and 6% of high school seniors reported the nonmedical use of Adderall. The rate of prescription drug abuse among teens has the attention of parents, teachers, law enforcement, politicians, and government officials. The National Institute on Drug Abuse maintains a branch called NIDA for Teens (https://teens. drugabuse.gov/) that can help young people get the information they need on prescription drug abuse (NIDA for Teens, 2019b) as well as a variety of other drug-related topics. The report Teen Prescription Drug Abuse: An Emerging Threat , developed by the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) in collaboration with the ONDCP’s National Youth Anti- Drug Media Campaign, states: Teens say they abuse prescription painkillers because they believe they are safer to use than illicit drugs (41%), there is less shame attached to using them (37%), there are fewer side effects than illicit drugs (31%), and parents don’t care as much if you get caught (20%) (CADCA, 2008 ). Teens also experience challenges unique to their age group that may contribute to their vulnerability to behaviors leading to prescription drug abuse. Some difficulties encountered by teens include experiencing physical and psychological changes, attempting to develop an acceptable identity and peer group acceptance, facing academic and sports-related pressures to succeed, and the ongoing emergence of new life experiences. Adolescents with a history of exposure to various traumatic events such as physical assault, sexual assault, witnessing violence, or the presence of family members with drug or alcohol use problems appear to be at an increased risk for substance abuse/dependence behaviors (Carliner et al., 2016; NIDA, 2014b). Finally, an anatomical consideration unique to teens is that the prefrontal cortex, responsible for judgment and decision-making activity, is the last part of the brain to fully develop and mature (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2016; Volkow, 2008; Winters & Arria, 2011). These elements contribute to the increased risk among the teenage population for experimentation of all kinds, sometimes opening the path for first-time drug use and future patterns of drug abuse behavior. It is worth noting that, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), prescriptions issued by dentists account for almost a third of U.S. adolescents’ first exposure to opioids (HHS, 2019a). College students Young adults in their college years also present as a population at risk for the perils of prescription drug abuse. Like the teenagers discussed above, these students face a variety of stressors that may cloud their decision-making process and make them more susceptible to risky behaviors. These stressors may include high-stakes examinations, escalation of the need for peer acceptance in the face of social independence, irregular sleeping
habits, stress-relieving bingeing activity, limited finances, and pressures to select and pursue a lifelong career path. Faced with these issues, some college students turn to stimulants to gain an edge over their classmates. Some students may begin this behavior by consuming energy drinks. Arria and colleagues (2010) reported that students who turn to energy drinks are more likely to turn to prescription drugs for similar effects in the next year. Some college students believe that stimulants will allow them to stay awake for longer periods of time and increase their powers of concentration, leading to the ultimate goal: a better grade (Arria, O’Grady, et al., 2008; Prudhomme White et al., 2016). Unfortunately, they may discover that the perceived magic pill to get a better grade has other, undesirable, outcomes. Not only are these students at greater risk for drug abuse behaviors, but a study found that students who used stimulants and analgesics for nonmedical purposes also skipped 21% of their classes, whereas their non- using counterparts skipped 9% of classes (Arria, O’Grady, et al., 2008; United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2011). In fact, symptoms of ADHD, particularly inattentiveness, have been linked to nonmedical use of prescription stimulants – a consequence opposite of the perceived intent (Arria, Caldeira, et al., 2008). As a result, it is not surprising that the abusing students are reported to have lower grades than their non-using counterparts (Arria & DuPont, 2010). Students who are Caucasian, live in fraternities or sororities, attend more competitive colleges, and use other illicit drugs are more likely to use prescription stimulants and analgesics for nonmedical purposes (McCabe, Knight, et al., 2005; McCabe, Teter, et al., 2005). In a presentation at a 2012 National Collegiate Athletic Association conference, Dr. Amelia Arria raised concern that nonprescription drug use may be a “gateway” to other drugs and alcohol. In her study, of those who reported a nonmedical use of stimulants, “93.5 percent also reported use of marijuana, 89.4 percent used tobacco products, and 100 percent used alcohol” (Hendrickson, 2012). The mix of alcohol and stimulants is another “cocktail” that appears to appeal to college students. People using this combination say that they are able to drink more for a longer period of time (American Addiction Centers, 2019). These college students forget or are unaware that stimulants mask the depressive effects of alcohol, increasing the risk of overdose and even death. The combination may cause liver damage and increased risk of heart problems (NIH, 2018a; National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2014). Military personnel and families Many people would use terms such as discipline , rules , and commanding oversight to describe the environment of the U.S. armed forces. Such a description may make it difficult to understand how the same climate could foster an atmosphere conducive to prescription drug abuse. According to the 2015 Department of Defense Health Related Behaviors Survey of Active Duty Military Personnel, across all branches of the military, 4.1% of active duty personnel reported misuse of prescription drugs within the past 12 months (Mendez, 2018). Several factors unique to a service member’s life can cause the type of stress that may create the perfect environment for risky behavior involving prescription drug abuse. These issues include multiple and long deployments resulting in family separation and relationship strain, participation in and witnessing of traumatic events, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and traumatic brain injury. Not surprisingly, deployed military service members tend to be more at risk for abusing prescription medications than their nondeployed comrades (NIDA, 2013). The Army was the military branch with the most men and women deployed in the most recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to one study, one in four Army soldiers deployed in those wars admitted to abusing prescription drugs during a one-year period (Bray
Page 12
EliteLearning.com/Dental
Powered by FlippingBook