Effects of Anxiety and Coping on Past 90-Day Opioid Misuse among Indian Adults during COVID-19

Abstract

Substance use, especially opioid use, is an ongoing public health crisis in India that is compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Approximately 22 million Indian citizens use opiates, yet there are no empirical studies that analyze the prevalence of use during a global pandemic in India. Further exploration is needed about the prevalence of opioid use among south Asian Indian adults to (1) Identify if sociodemographic variables such as gender, education, and employment are significantly associated with 90-day opioid use and (2) identify whether anxiety or coping influence the rate of 90-day opioid use regardless of sociodemographic variables. Results indicated both anxiety and coping were significantly and independently associated with past 90-day opioid use, women were significantly more likely to endorse past 90-day opioid misuse than men, and Both lower education and less than full-time employment were also significantly associated with greater frequency of past 90-day opioid misuse. Overall, the study’s results highlight the need for more concentrated investigations into substance use among South Indians, as well as tailored use substance prevention programs that consider social determinants of health when treating patients.