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Investigating Substance Use as a Coping Strategy Among Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatients: A Comparative Analysis
Sarah A Thomas1,2, Elizabeth C Thompson3,4,5, Jessica R Peters3
1Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center, 25 Hoppin St, Box #36, Providence, RI, 02903, USA. sarah_thomas1@brown.edu.
Child Psychiatry and Human Development
|July 4, 2024
Summary
Adolescent psychiatric inpatients showed increased alcohol and cannabis use during COVID-19. Using substances to cope with pandemic changes was linked to psychiatric issues like suicidality.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Adolescent Health
- Substance Use Research
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered daily life, raising concerns about its impact on adolescent mental health and substance use.
- Previous research on adolescent substance use during COVID-19 has produced inconsistent findings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare past-year substance use rates in adolescent psychiatric inpatients before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- To examine the relationship between coping motives related to COVID-19 and psychiatric severity and substance use.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional chart review of adolescent psychiatric inpatients (n=491) compared substance use days before (August 2019–March 2020) and during (March 2020–April 2021) COVID-19.
- Count models assessed differences in alcohol and cannabis use days.
- For a subsample (n=124), psychiatric correlates of using substances to cope with COVID-19 were evaluated.
Main Results:
- Adolescents hospitalized during COVID-19 reported significantly more past-year alcohol and cannabis use days compared to those hospitalized before the pandemic.
- Substances were used to cope with COVID-19 by 19% (alcohol), 33% (cannabis), and 25% (e-cigarettes/vaping).
- Coping with COVID-19 via e-cigarette/vaping was linked to suicide attempts; using alcohol or cannabis to cope correlated with increased past-year use days for those substances.
Conclusions:
- Adolescent psychiatric inpatients exhibited increased substance use during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Using substances as a coping mechanism for pandemic-related stressors is associated with adverse psychiatric outcomes.
- Assessing substance use patterns and functions is crucial for managing adolescent mental health during community-wide crises.
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