Rates of Prescription Fentanyl Misuse and Correlated Mental Health, Social, and Service Utilization Factors Among...

Misuse of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, can lead to severe consequences, including overdose and death. This study examined sociodemographic, mental health, and service utilization factors associated with past-year fentanyl misuse in the United States.

We utilized the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a nationally representative sample of the non-institutionalized U.S. population, to examine differences among three mutually exclusive groups: those misusing prescription fentanyl (PFMU); those using prescription fentanyl as prescribed (PFU); and those with no fentanyl use (NFU). Multinomial logistic regression models investigated differences related to sociodemographic, mental health, and mental health service utilization. Pain and other substance use were not covaried in analyses. We also examined perceived impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health service utilization among adults who misused fentanyl.

Among adults with past-year fentanyl use, 22.4% reported misuse. Individuals with PFMU were more likely to be male, unmarried, and living in poverty and less likely to have a college education or private medical insurance than were PFU and NFU respondents. The PFMU and PFU groups had higher odds of major depression, psychiatric distress, and suicidality than the NFU group. The PFMU and PFU groups were more likely to report use of mental health services, prescribed psychiatric medications, and unmet needs compared to the NFU group. PFMU respondents disproportionately reported more COVID-19-pandemic-related concerns.

Links between PFMU and mental concerns, suicidal behavior, and mental health care utilization suggest the need for comprehensive support and integrated treatment approaches.