Substance use and teen pregnancy in the United States: Evidence from the NSDUH 2002–2012

Abstract

Introduction Few, if any, studies have systematically examined the relationship between substance use and teen pregnancy using population-based samples. We aim to provide a comprehensive examination of substance use among pregnant adolescents in the United States. Method Employing data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health between 2002 and 2012 (n = 97,850), we examine the prevalence of past 12-month and past 30-day substance use and substance use disorders among pregnant and non-pregnant adolescents (ages 12-17). We also examine psychosocial and pregnancy-related correlates of current substance use among the subsample of pregnant adolescents (n = 810). Results Pregnant teens were significantly more likely to have experimented with a variety of substances and meet criteria for alcohol (AOR = 1.65, 95% CI = 1.26-2.17), cannabis (AOR = 2.29, 95% CI = 1.72-3.04), and other illicit drug use disorders (AOR = 2.84, 95% CI = 1.92-4.19). Pregnant early adolescents (ages 12-14; AOR = 4.34, 95% CI = 2.28-8.26) were significantly more likely and pregnant late adolescents (ages 15-17; AOR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.56-0.90) significantly less likely than their non-pregnant counterparts to be current substance users. Conclusions Study findings point not only to a relationship between pregnancy and prior substance use, but also suggest that substance use continues for many teens during pregnancy. We found that substance use is particularly problematic among early adolescents that the prevalence of substance use attenuates dramatically as youth progress from the first to the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.

Developmental Patterns of Adolescent Marijuana and Alcohol Use and Their Joint Association with Sexual Risk Behavior and Outcomes in Young Adulthood

“…Nationally, SalasWright and colleagues [43] showed that pregnant teens were significantly more likely than non-pregnant adolescents to have met criteria for alcohol and cannabis disorders, which is often a result of heavier use. Their work suggests that substance use often continues during pregnancy; those findings combined with our findings of particularly high rates of pregnancy among alcohol and marijuana using youth suggest that importance of screening and joint intervention efforts that focus both on substance use and pregnancy prevention.…”

Evidence for Genetic Overlap Between Schizophrenia and Age at First Birth in Women

“…Several mechanisms such as correlation of SCZ risk with socioeconomic status and other environmental and biological factors might also influence the genetic relationship between SCZ and AFB. For instance, SCZ risk could predispose to impulsive behaviour 29 and substance use 27 that are associated with early pregnancy and childbirth 28 . On the other hand, poor social competence in SCZ might delay the time to meet a partner and/or have offspring, causing delayed AFB.…”

Prevalence and correlates of alcohol and tobacco use among pregnant women in the United States: Evidence from the NSDUH 2005–2014

“…Compared to those who do not smoke tobacco during pregnancy, pregnant women who smoke tobacco are more likely to be white, unmarried, have other smokers in the household, and report elevated stress levels, and depression (Blalock, Robinson, Wetter, & Cinciripini, 2005;Colman & Joyce, 2003;Orr, Newton, Tarwater, & Weismiller, 2005;Tong, Jones, Dietz, D'Angelo, & Bombard, 2009;Zhu & Valbo, 2002). Although research suggests that pregnant adolescents are less likely to use any substance during pregnancy if they report higher parental involvement and greater school engagement and academic performance and are in their second or third trimester (Salas-Wright, Vaughn, Ugalde, & Todic, 2015;Salas-Wright, Vaughn, & Ugalde, 2016), limited research has compared the rates or correlates of alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy between adolescents and adults.…”