Prescription opioid misuse among heterosexual versus lesbian, gay, and bisexual military veterans: Evidence from the 2015-2017 national survey of drug use and health

Anderson-Carpenter, Kaston D.; Rutledge, Jaleah; Mitchell, Koi

doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.107794

Cited by 13 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…3,5,12 The individuals who are Bisexual experienced higher odds of misuse of opioids, benzodiazepines, and both drugs compared with individuals who are heterosexual. This finding is consistent with previous findings of bisexual individuals reporting higher odds of opioid misuse 34 and Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual groups experiencing higher pain reliever misuse relative to heterosexual individuals. 35 It is also reported that bisexual females are more likely to co-use opioids and benzodiazepines among adults with opioid use disorder.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 92%

Opioid and benzodiazepine misuse in the United States: The impact of socio‐demographic characteristics

Haider,

Jayawardhana

2023

American J Addict

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Background and ObjectivesIn 2021, drug overdose deaths in the United States reached a new record of 107,622. Misuse of opioids and benzodiazepines accounts for a large portion of drug overdose deaths. However, the effects of socio‐demographic characteristics on misuse of opioids and benzodiazepines are not evident. Thus, this study examines the socio‐demographic characteristics associated with misuse of opioids and benzodiazepines among adults in the United States.MethodsData from 2015–2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health was utilized in the multinomial logistic regression analysis and included 202,935 adults ages ≥18 years.ResultsDuring 2015–2019, 3.3% of the adults misused opioids, 1.2% misused benzodiazepines, and 0.9% misused both drugs in the preceding year of the survey. Those who were younger, bisexual, non‐Hispanic White, had a history of delinquency in the past year, had alcohol dependence/abuse, marijuana dependence/abuse, nicotine dependence and use, and experienced major depressive episodes were more likely to misuse opioids, benzodiazepines, or both.Conclusion and Scientific SignificanceA large portion of US adults are misusing opioids, benzodiazepines, and both drugs. Specifically, bisexual individuals experience higher odds of opioid misuse, benzodiazepine misuse and misuse of both drugs compared with heterosexuals, while males are experiencing lower odds of benzodiazepine misuse compared with females. Individuals aged 26–49 experience the highest odds of opioid misuse, though misuse of both drugs was higher among the 18–25 age group. Findings underscore the use of targeted preventive measures to reduce misuse of these drugs among at‐risk populations identified in this study.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 92%

Opioid and benzodiazepine misuse in the United States: The impact of socio‐demographic characteristics

Haider,

Jayawardhana

2023

American J Addict

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“… 19 A recent study showed that type and level of hormones can play a role in pain perception and experience: persons with estrogen exposure have greater and higher temporomandibular disorders, fibromyalgia and visceral pain, while the drop in estrogen among those recorded female at birth at menopause intensifies musculoskeletal pain. 20 Furthermore, higher substance use rates among LGBT Veterans, which aligns with past research, 21 may reflect self-medicating to alleviate pain, thus potentially underestimating pain scores among this population (see Table 4 ). This potential interaction between LGBT status, substance use, and pain is serious and warrants further exploration.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 53%

Relationship Between Pain and LGBT Status Among Veterans in Care in a Retrospective Cross-Sectional Cohort

Gordon,

Buta,

Pratt-Chapman

et al. 2023

JPR

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Background Pain assessment is performed in many healthcare systems, such as the Veterans Health Administration, but prior studies have not assessed whether pain screening varies in sexual and gender minority populations that include individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender (LGBT). Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate pain screening and reported pain of LGBT Veterans compared to non-LGBT Veterans. Methods Using a retrospective cross-sectional cohort, data from the Corporate Data Warehouse, a national repository with clinical/administrative data, were analyzed. Veterans were classified as LGBT using natural language processing. We used a robust Poisson model to examine the association between LGBT status and binary outcomes of pain screening, any pain, and persistent pain within one year of entry in the cohort. All models were adjusted for demographics, mental health, substance use, musculoskeletal disorder(s), and number of clinic visits. Results There were 1,149,486 Veterans (218,154 (19%) classified as LGBT) in our study. Among LGBT Veterans, 94% were screened for pain compared to 89% among those not classified as LGBT (non-LGBT) Veterans. In adjusted models, LGBT Veterans’ probability of being screened for pain compared to non-LGBT Veterans was 2.5% higher (95% CI 2.3%, 2.6%); risk of any pain was 2.1% lower (95% CI 1.6%, 2.6%); and there was no significant difference between LGBT and non-LGBT Veterans in persistent pain (RR = 1.00, 95% CI (0.99, 1.01), p = 0.88). Conclusions In a nationwide sample, LGBT Veterans were more likely to be screened for pain but had lower self-reported pain scores, though adjusted differences were small. It was notable that transgender and Black Veterans reported the greatest pain. Reasons for these findings require further investigation.

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“…For example, several studies of survey data documented greater alcohol and tobacco use as well as poorer mental health among SGM veterans than non-SGM veterans. 3–5 , 7–9 Other studies showed greater adverse social determinants, including sexual minority veterans more likely to report discrimination than heterosexual veterans 8 , 10 and transgender VHA veterans having nearly three times the prevalence of housing instability compared with cisgender VHA veterans. 11 , 12 …”

Section: Generations Of Disparities Research For Sgm Veteransmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These large surveys afforded opportunities to examine the intersection of SGM and veteran statuses. 3–5 Datamining of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) electronic health records (EHR) also jumpstarted health disparities research about SGM veterans. Crucial as these efforts were for information about SGM veterans, they need to be appraised and contextualized within the datasphere to chart next steps for health equity research.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Costs of (In)visibility: Issues of Disclosure and Data for Health Equity Research with Sexual and Gender Minority Veterans

Blosnich

2023

Health Equity

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Sexual and gender minority (SGM) veterans experience numerous disparities in health conditions, behavioral risks, and social adversities compared with non-SGM veterans. Although survey data have illuminated these differences, SGM veterans remain largely invisible in administrative data such as electronic health records due to lack of sexual orientation and gender identity information. Administrative data hold promise for propelling SGM health equity research, but several issues must be addressed, including weighing the benefits and threats of visibility for SGM people in data sets that are tied to receipt of services.

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Prescription opioid misuse among heterosexual versus lesbian, gay, and bisexual military veterans: Evidence from the 2015-2017 national survey of drug use and health

Cited by 13 publications

References 20 publications

Opioid and benzodiazepine misuse in the United States: The impact of socio‐demographic characteristics

Opioid and benzodiazepine misuse in the United States: The impact of socio‐demographic characteristics

Relationship Between Pain and LGBT Status Among Veterans in Care in a Retrospective Cross-Sectional Cohort

Costs of (In)visibility: Issues of Disclosure and Data for Health Equity Research with Sexual and Gender Minority Veterans

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