Comparing the odds of dubstance-misuse between adopted and non-adopted youth

Background: Approximately 20 million adults in the United States over the age of 12 have been diagnosed with a substance use disorder [SUD: alcohol use disorders (AUDs), cannabis use disorders (CUDs), and nicotine dependence (ND)] in the United States. Current research has demonstrated that adults who are adopted have increased odds of developing a SUD when compared to individuals who were raised by both biological parents. The research focusing on specific risk factors among adopted youth and their potential for developing a SUD in adulthood is limited. The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between adoption and early SUD development to assist in the creation of early interventions for at-risk youth. Methods: A nationally representative sample of 80,995 middle and high school students completed the 2013 Minnesota Student Survey (MSS). Chi-squared tests of independence were run to assess the relationship between binge drinking, prescription drug misuse, cigarette-use, marijuana-use, and adoption status. Four multivariable logistic regression models assess the relationship between 1) prescription drug misuse 2) binge drinking 3) cigarette-use and 4) marijuana-use association with adoption status when controlling for gender, family composition, parental communication, socio-economic status, and ethnicity. Results: Bivariate analyses suggest the relationships between adoption status and prescription drug misuse and binge drinking were significant (2= 9.812; p=0.002; 2=0.03 p=0.03, respectively), whereas binge drinking and marijuana-use were not significantly associated with adoption status (P>0.05). Results of logistic regression analyses revealed that students living with at least one adoptive parent had 1.91 times the odds of having misused prescription drugs and 1.62 times the odds of cigarette-use within the last 12 months compared to students living in other family structures parents (AOR=1.91; 95% CI: 1.31-2.77; AOR=1.62; 95% CI:1.26-2.07, respectively). Discussion/Conclusion: While this study dissented from prior literature suggesting adopted youth had higher odds of alcohol misuse, it did show that adopted youth had higher odds of prescription drug misuse and cigarette-use. These findings suggest that social support services and education campaigns may be needed for adopted youth to better understand their increased risk for SUD. Additional research regarding the link between adoption status and substance use is needed.