NIDA-Backed Study Finds Shifts in Young Adolescent Substance Use During Pandemic

While overall drug use among young people ages 10 to 14 remained relatively stable before and during the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers found shifts in the types of substances being used, with alcohol use declining as nicotine use and prescription medication misuse increased. Pandemic-related severe stress, depression, anxiety and family experiencing material hardship were factors linked to adolescents being at a heightened risk for substance use.

Findings were published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

The study, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and 9 additional institutes, used data from the ongoing Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. More than 7,800 young adolescents and their families were polled at least once in a series of 3 surveys conducted in a 6-month period after stay-at-home orders were initiated early in the pandemic. Study participants were assessed for use of alcohol, nicotine products, cannabis and other drugs, as well as prescription drug misuse, along with other factors that could influence substance use.

Among the study’s findings:

• Alcohol use decreased from 1.9% of study participants reporting use within the past 30 days in surveys taken prior to the pandemic to 0.7% in the first survey during the pandemic.
• Nicotine and prescription drug misuse increased from 0% for both pre-pandemic to 1.5% and 0.7%, respectively, during the pandemic.
• Youth who reported feeling “extreme” stress from pandemic-related uncertainty were 2.4 times more likely to engage in substance use vs. youth who reported “very slight” stress.

“The past year has been difficult, and adolescents have experienced a year of turmoil and stress in precarious space between childhood and adulthood,” NIDA Director Nora D. Volkow, MD, said in a news release. “Recognizing how the stress of the past year translates into substance use has profound implications into adulthood, because drinking and drug use at these ages are associated with a substantially higher risk of long-term alcohol and drug use disorders and related harms.”