Beyond Age: Transition Age Adults Have Distinct Identities, Substance Use Patterns Compared With Other Adults in...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Addiction Medicine
• Sociology

Background:

• Transition age (TA) adults (18-25 years old) face high rates of substance use disorders (SUD).
• TA adults are less likely to engage in SUD treatment compared to other age groups.
• Understanding the characteristics of TA adults in SUD treatment is crucial for effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the sociodemographic characteristics and substance use patterns of TA adults in SUD treatment with those of older adults (≥26 years).
• To identify unique profiles of TA adults within the SUD treatment population.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of New York State administrative data from 2023.
• Comparison of TA adults (N=12,103) with adults aged 26+ (N=148,611) in SUD treatment.
• Statistical analyses included two-sample proportion tests and calculation of prevalence ratios and Cohen's h for effect size.

Main Results:

• TA adults constituted 8.1% of all adults in SUD treatment.
• TA adults were more likely to identify as LGBT (11.7% vs 5.6%) and report criminal legal system involvement (46.2% vs 33.3%).
• TA adults showed higher engagement for cannabis use disorder (32.8% vs 7.4%) and lower engagement for opioid use disorder (20.0% vs 37.5%) compared to older adults.

Conclusions:

• TA adults in SUD treatment exhibit distinct sociodemographic and substance use profiles.
• These findings highlight the need for age-specific treatment programs tailored to TA adults.
• Understanding these characteristics can improve resource allocation, outreach, and engagement strategies for this population.