Randomized trial examines associations between addictive prescription drug use and mental health in adolescents, indicating significant risks.
Key Points
This study describes the prevalence of medical use and misuse of addictive prescription drugs among adolescents and examines their association with mental health indicators.
Data from the 2024 European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) survey of 15–16-year-olds in Estonia (N=2,019).
Respondents were classified as non-users, medical users, or misusers based on lifetime addictive prescription drug use.
Multivariable logistic regression analyzed the associations between addictive prescription drug use and mental health indicators.
27.8% of adolescents reported medical use and 18.3% reported misuse of addictive prescription drugs, with higher rates among girls.
Poor mental wellbeing was reported by 44.4% and self-harm by 17.6% among misusers.
APD misuse (vs. non-use) was associated with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.78 for self-harm.