Recent trends in substance abuse among persons with disabilities compared to that of persons without disabilities

Substance abuse (SA) is a grave and pervasive social problem associated with severe personal and social costs that affect persons with disabilities disproportionally. Most previous research has found SA prevalence to be greater among persons with disabilities than among those without disabilities.

To compare prevalence between persons with disabilities and persons without disabilities for different substances of abuse, and recent SA trends.

The authors examined nine years of nationally representative data estimates from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, comparing previous month prevalence of self-reported SA on a per-substance basis among community residing persons with disabilities and their peers without disabilities, using a logistic regression model that accounted for demographic factors.

Prevalence of overall substance abuse (a composite measure) was level over time, at 34% for persons without disabilities and 40% for persons with disabilities. The SA prevalence among persons with disabilities closely paralleled that of other persons over the period 2002-2010 for each substance examined, but at a statistically significant higher level, with the exception of alcohol abuse, which was significantly lower. Time trends were relatively stable for both populations, with the exception of decreases in cocaine use and recent dramatic increases in marijuana use and oxycodone abuse.

Given that substance abuse among persons with disabilities is markedly more prevalent than among other persons for most substances, findings indicate a need for accessible, targeted prevention programs and a potentially overwhelming demand for accessible SA treatment services and facilities.