Stalled Improvements? Youth Opioid Misuse 2015-2022.

PURPOSE: To examine youth opioid misuse trends before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic era.

METHODS

We use nationally representative data from the 2015-2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health to study self-reported opioid misuse by age, among youth ages 12-25 years.

RESULTS

The downward trend in youth opioid misuse has flattened since the pandemic, and the gaps between opioid misuse across age groups have closed.

DISCUSSION: One explanation is that by 2020 youth opioid misuse rates had already reached very low rates-the prevalence of misuse was less than 5% in all age groups in the 12-25 years range. Since opioid misuse rates are naturally bound below by zero, the converging and flattening of youth opioid misuse rates suggest little room for further reductions despite increasing mortality rates.