Prevalence and correlates of prescription drug misuse among young, low-income women receiving public healthcare

Abbey B. Berenson, Mahbubur Rahman

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Scopus citations

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence and correlates of prescription drug misuse among young, low-income women seeking care at a public clinic in Texas. Collected data on 2,976 women included frequency of use, demographic and reproductive characteristics, religiosity, smoking history, concurrent substance use, depressive symptoms, perceived stress, health beliefs, and exposure to traumatic events. Overall, 30% reported ever misusing a prescription drug and 15% reported misuse in the past year. Women who initiated sexual intercourse at younger than 15 years, used illicit drugs, and smoked everyday were more likely to have misused prescription drugs. Higher trauma, stress, and posttraumatic stress scores also were associated with ever misusing prescription drugs. This study adds to limited data available on medication misuse by young women who have few resources and demonstrates needs for prevention efforts in public clinics.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)203-215
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of Addictive Diseases
Volume30
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2011

Keywords

  • Prescription drugs
  • low-income
  • misuse
  • nonmedical use
  • public health clinic
  • young women

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Medicine (miscellaneous)
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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