Investigating the co-occurrence of marijuana use and prescription opioid misuse with multiple suicide attempts among adolescents with a history of suicidal ideation
Date
2023
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Psychiatry Research
Abstract
This study investigated the co-occurrent association of marijuana use and prescription opioid misuse with
multiple suicide attempts among adolescents with a history of suicidal ideation. Data came from the 2019 Youth
Risk Behavior Survey. The sample was comprised of adolescents ages 14–18 who reported suicidal ideation
during the past year (n = 2,562). Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the co-occurring asso ciation of marijuana use and prescription opioid misuse with multiple suicide attempts. Of the 2,562 adolescents
who experienced suicidal ideation, 19.2 % also attempted suicide multiple times during the past year and 19.0 %
reported ever using marijuana and misusing prescription opioids, 8.8 % misused prescription opioids only, and
33.3 % used marijuana only. In the multivariate model, for adolescents who used marijuana and misused pre scription opioid, the risk of attempting suicide once was 1.77 times higher (RRR = 1.77, 95 % CI = 1.22–2.59)
and the risk of multiple suicide attempts was 3.23 times higher (RRR = 3.23, 95 % CI = 1.95–5.33) when
compared to adolescents who had never used marijuana nor misused prescription opioid. The risk of multiple
suicide attempts was greater for bisexual and racial/ethnic minority adolescents and adolescents who felt sad or
hopeless. Interventions that prevent prescription opioid misuse among adolescents may be effective in mitigating
suicide attempts.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Multiple suicide attempts, Suicidal ideation, Prescription opioid misuse, Marijuana use, Adolescents