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The association between somatic complaints and past-30 day opioid misuse among justice-involved children
Micah E Johnson1, Sarah Clerjuste2
1Department of Mental Health Law and Policy, College of Behavioural and Community Sciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
Insights
Justice-involved youth with somatic complaints, like pain or nausea, are more likely to misuse opioids. Addressing these symptoms through healthcare access may help prevent opioid misuse in this vulnerable population.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Criminology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Justice-involved youth are at high risk for opioid misuse.
- Somatic symptoms, or physical sensations, can cause distress and dysfunction.
- Understanding predictors of opioid misuse in justice-involved youth is crucial for prevention and harm reduction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between somatic complaints and opioid misuse among justice-involved youth in Florida.
- To identify variables that predict opioid misuse initiation in this population.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of statewide data from 79,960 justice-involved youth in Florida.
- Logistic regression used to assess the relationship between somatic complaints and past-30 day opioid misuse.
- Controlled for sociodemographic and mental health factors.
Main Results:
- Nearly 28% of justice-involved youth reported a history of somatic complaints.
- Youth with 1-2 somatic complaints were 1.23 times more likely to misuse opioids.
- Youth with 3-4 somatic complaints were 1.5 times more likely to misuse opioids.
Conclusions:
- Somatic symptoms may drive opioid misuse as individuals attempt to self-manage pain or discomfort.
- Improved healthcare access for justice-involved youth is essential to reduce opioid misuse.
- Seamless healthcare transitions from correctional settings to communities are vital for preventing opioid misuse and overdose.
Background:
Individuals in the criminal justice system are especially vulnerable to the adverse effects of opioid misuse. Research on justice-involved children (JIC) is needed to uncover the variables that predict opioid misuse initiation to prevent misuse or reduce harm in this population. Somatic symptoms are symptoms experienced in the body, such as physical sensations, movements or experiences, which can cause severe distress and dysfunction. These include pain, nausea, dizziness, and fainting. In this study, we hypothesize that somatic complaints will be associated with a higher likelihood of opioid misuse among Florida JIC.
Methods:
The study examined statewide data on 79,960 JIC in the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice database. Logistic regression was employed to investigate an ordinal measure of somatic complaints at first screen and a binary outcome measure of past-30 day illicit or nonmedical opioid use at final screen while controlling for sociodemographic and mental health factors.
Results:
Nearly 28% of JIC had a history of one or more somatic complaints. Compared to those with no history of somatic complaints, JIC with a history of one or two somatic complaints were 1.23 times more likely to misuse opioids in the past 30 days and those with three or four somatic complaints were 1.5 times more likely to meet criteria for past-30 day opioid misuse.
Conclusions:
Individuals may consume illicit or non-medical prescription opioids to manage somatic symptoms - indicating that increased access to healthcare may reduce misuse. Risk of opioid overdose sharply increases as justice-involved individuals are released from correctional settings largely due to a reduced tolerance to opioids as a result of incarceration and diminished access to legal medicines that are provided in the justice system. Justice systems must ensure seamless access to quality healthcare services as individuals transition from correctional settings to their communities.
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