Adolescent Opioid Misuse Attributable to Adverse Childhood Experiences.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the proportion of opioid misuse attributable to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among adolescents. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey was administered to 10 546 seventh-to twelfth-grade students in northeastern Ohio in Spring 2018. Study measures included self-reported lifetime exposure to 10 ACEs and past 30-day use of nonmedical prescription opioid or heroin. Using generalized estimating equations, we evaluated associations between recent opioid misuse, individual ACEs, and cumulative number of ACEs. We calculated population attributable fractions to determine the proportion of adolescents' recent opioid misuse attributable to ACEs. RESULTS: Nearly 1 in 50 adolescents reported opioid misuse within 30 days (1.9%); approximately 60% of youth experienced ≥1 ACE; 10.2% experienced ≥5 ACEs. Cumulative ACE exposure demonstrated a significant graded relationship with opioid misuse. Compared with youth with zero ACEs, youth with 1 ACE (aOR 1.9, 95% CI, 0.9-3.9), 2 ACEs (aOR, 3.8; 95% CI, 1.9-7.9), 3 ACEs (aOR, 3.7; 95% CI, 2.2-6.5), 4 ACEs (aOR, 5.8; 95% CI, 3.1-11.2), and ≥5 ACEs (aOR, 15.3; 95% CI, 8.8-26.6) had higher odds of recent opioid misuse. The population attributable fraction of recent opioid misuse associated with experiencing ≥1 ACE was 71.6% (95% CI, 59.8-83.5). CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant graded relationship between number of ACEs and recent opioid misuse among adolescents. More than 70% of recent adolescent opioid misuse in our study population was attributable to ACEs. Efforts to decrease opioid misuse could include programmatic, policy, and clinical practice interventions to prevent and mitigate the negative effects of ACEs.

Associations Between Social Media and Suicidal Behaviors During a Youth Suicide Cluster in Ohio.

PURPOSE: Youth suicide clusters may be exacerbated by suicide contagion-the spread of suicidal behaviors. Factors promoting suicide contagion are poorly understood, particularly in the advent of social media. Using cross-sectional data from an ongoing youth suicide cluster in Ohio, this study examines associations between suicide cluster-related social media and suicidal behaviors. METHODS: We surveyed 7th- to 12th-grade students in northeastern Ohio during a 2017-2018 suicide cluster to assess the prevalence of suicidal ideation (SI), suicide attempts (SAs), and associations with potential contagion-promoting factors such as suicide cluster-related social media, vigils, memorials, news articles, and watching the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why before or during the cluster. Generalized estimating equations examined associations between potential contagion-promoting factors and SI/SA, adjusting for nonmodifiable risk factors. Subgroup analyses examined whether associations between cluster-related factors and SI/SA during the cluster varied by previous history of SI/SA. RESULTS: Among participating students, 9.0% (876/9,733) reported SI and 4.9% attempted suicide (481/9,733) during the suicide cluster. Among students who posted suicide cluster-related content to social media, 22.9% (267/1,167) reported SI and 15.0% (175/1,167) attempted suicide during the suicide cluster. Posting suicide cluster-related content was associated with both SI (adjusted odds ratio 1.7, 95% confidence interval 1.4-2.0) and SA during the cluster (adjusted odds ratio 1.7, 95% confidence interval 1.2-2.5). In subgroup analyses, seeing suicide cluster-related posts was uniquely associated with increased odds of SI and SA during the cluster among students with no previous history of SI/SA. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to suicide cluster-related social media is associated with both SI and SA during a suicide cluster. Suicide interventions could benefit from efforts to mitigate potential negative effects of social media and promote prevention messages.