Prescription Opioid Misuse and Sports-Related Concussion Among High School Students in the United States.

STUDY

OBJECTIVE

Concussion is highly prevalent in adolescents and associated with a higher risk of substance use. With the rising use of opioids among adolescents, one form of substance use of concern is the misuse of prescription opioids. This study aimed to examine the association between a history of sports-related concussion in the past year and current prescription opioid misuse among high school students in the United States.

SETTING

Secondary data analysis from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

PARTICIPANTS

Nationally representative sample of high school students (n = 7314).

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

MAIN MEASURES: Participants were asked whether they experienced any concussions related to sports or being physically active during the past 12 months and whether they had any prescription opioid misuse within the past 30 days.

RESULTS

Among this cohort, 14.0% reported sustaining a concussion in the past 12 months and 6% reported current prescription opioid misuse. The prevalence of prescription opioid misuse was higher among those with a history of concussion (9.9%) than among those without concussion (5.5%, P = .002). Controlling for covariates (sex, race/ethnicity, other substance use, depressive symptoms), the odds of prescription opioid misuse was 1.5 times higher for adolescents with concussion than those without (adjusted odds ratios [aOR] = 1.5; 95% CI, 1.0-2.3; P = .029).

CONCLUSION

Concussion was associated with prescription opioid misuse among the US youth, even after accounting for depressive symptoms and other substance use. Longitudinal studies are needed to test causal relationships and understand biobehavioral mechanisms that underlie associations between concussion and opioid misuse in adolescents.