Female-male differences in prescription pain reliever dependence levels: Evidence on newly incident adolescent and young adult users in the United States, 2002-2014.

Abstract

BACKGROUND\nA comprehensive epidemiology of dependence on prescription opioid pain relievers requires evidence about age-specific female-male differences, possibly manifest during adolescent and early adult years. In this study, we identified newly incident extra-medical users of prescription pain relievers (EMPPR), all observed with onsets before the 22nd birthday. We then quantified female-male differences in clinical features or manifestations of opioid dependence (OD), devised a measurement-equivalent OD dimension, and estimated age-specific female-male differences in OD levels.\n\n\nMETHOD\nThe population under study included 12-to-21-year-old non-institutionalized civilian community residents of United States sampled for recent nation-scale surveys. Confidential computer-assisted self-interviews identified newly incident EMPPR users (n\u202f=\u202f10,188). Analysis-weighted estimation procedures yielded cumulative incidence proportions for each OD feature, evaluated measurement non-equivalence across subgroups, and estimated female-male differences age-by-age.\n\n\nRESULTS\n(1) Tolerance and salience ( spending a lot of time ) are most common OD features. (2) Measurement non-equivalence (bias) was found across sex- and onset-age groups. (3) With biasing features removed, we can see elevated OD levels for female new initiates, age-by-age. Subsidiary analyses suggested possibly accelerated progression toward higher OD levels when extra-medical PPR use starts before age 18.\n\n\nCONCLUSIONS\nDimensional approaches to OD and other drug use disorders have gained popularity but can be fragile when differential measurement biases are left uncontrolled. This study s bias-corrected dimensional view of female-male differences shows elevated OD levels among newly incident female EMPPR users relative to new male initiates. Future studies can check for accelerated progression to higher OD levels when EM use starts before age 18\u202fyears.