Men’s Misuse of Prescription Opioids from Early to Middle Adulthood: An Examination of Developmental and Concurrent Prediction Models

Objective The prevalence of misuse of prescription opioids across adulthood and the associations of such misuse with symptoms of psychopathology and use of other substances were examined for an at-risk community sample of men. Method For a longitudinal study of boys (N = 206) followed to adulthood, misuse of prescription opioids was assessed on 13 occasions from ages 20-21 years to 37-38 years. Prediction of misuse was examined from prospectively assessed risk factors in 3 models: (a) parental substance use during the men's adolescence; (b) the men's own risk behaviors in adolescence-delinquent behavior, depressive symptoms, and use of tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and opioids; and (c) within- and between-individual effects of the men's risk behaviors during adulthood. Results Opioid misuse was reported by 29% of men. After accounting for effects of age and considered individually, parent marijuana use and all of the adolescent and adult risk factors (except adolescent depressive symptoms) were significant between-individual predictors of opioid misuse. Furthermore, within-individual prediction was significant for adult delinquency and alcohol use after accounting for increases in opioid misuse with age. When risk factors were tested simultaneously, men's adult delinquency and use of marijuana and tobacco remained significant between-individual predictors, whereas no parental or adolescent risk factors remained significant in these models. Conclusion Both adolescent and adult risk factors were examined that predicted adult opioid misuse. Preventing adolescent problem behavior and using such histories to inform screening for misuse risk in adulthood may reduce the burden of the opioid crisis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).