Culturally relevant risk and protective factors for nonmedical use of prescription opioids among incarcerated African American men

Abstract

Background: Recent studies have demonstrated that nonmedical use of prescription opioids (NMUPO) is a national phenomenon affecting a multitude of subpopulations, including incarcerated African American men. However, there has been little investigation of the correlates of NMUPO among this population. Objective: Grounded in primary socialization theory, the current study aimed to examine the association between family bonds, family history of prescription drug misuse, and mental health symptoms on NMUPO among African American incarcerated men. Method: A step-wise logistic regression was conducted to determine whether family and mental health factors affected the likelihood of lifetime NMUPO. Results: Prescription drug misuse among immediate family members (p < .001) and lifetime experience of serious anxiety (p = .003) were significantly associated with an increased likelihood of NMUPO. Having a close personal relationship with one’s father was significantly associated with a decreased likelihood of NMUPO (p = .034). Conclusions/Importance: Risk and protective factors are identified that can be incorporated into interventions aimed at reducing or preventing NMUPO among African American men. Directions for future research on NMUPO among African American incarcerated men are discussed.

Health harms of non‐medical prescription opioid use: A systematic review

“…Ultimately, 182 studies met the inclusion criteria; three studies only included event count and not participant sample size [13‐15]. A total of 53 (29%) studies employed cross‐sectional, population‐based and nationally representative observational designs [7,14,16–63]; 13 (7%) employed longitudinal, cohort‐based observational designs [64–76]; 4 (2%) employed case control designs [77–80]; 6 (3%) were randomised control trials [81–86]; 54 (30%) employed cross‐sectional data from convenience samples [72,87–139]; 10 (5%) employed longitudinal (including repeated cross‐sectional) data from nationally representative studies [15,17,140–146]; and 42 (23%) retrospectively assessed individual‐level data […”

“…One study from Becker et al [34] found that reporting past-year NMPOU was significantly associated with reporting symptoms of panic and phobia among National Survey on Drug Use and Health respondents (n = 6879; both adjusted odds ratios = 1.2, P < 0.05). Ten studies (5%) assessed the relationship between NMPOU and anxiety, with 7 (70%) identifying a significant association [7,33,112,125,128,136,142], two studies (20%) reporting a null finding [43,122] and one (10%) limited to reporting on the prevalence of generalised anxiety disorder (i.e. 14%) among individuals engaged in NMPOU [77].…”