Social Withdrawal and Prescription Opioid Misuse Among Older Adults in the United States.

IF 4.9 3区医学 Q1 GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY

Innovation in Aging Pub Date : 2025-05-24 eCollection Date: 2025-01-01 DOI:10.1093/geroni/igaf052

Jack Lam, Michael Vuolo, Brian Kelly

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background and objectives: The literature indicates an association between social isolation and substance use. Though related, social withdrawal is a construct that has received less attention. Given that prescription drugs are commonly misused by older adults, this paper contributes to the literature by examining the association between social withdrawal and prescription opioid misuse.

Research design and methods: We use data from 2009 to 2022 U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health, focusing on respondents 50+ (N = 111,386; 54.8% female; 74.1% non-Hispanic White). Social withdrawal is measured with 3 items from the WHO Disability Assessment Scale, individually and as a scale, capturing the level of social withdrawal severity experienced when going out of the home, dealing with strangers, and participating in social activities. Our outcome is past-year prescription opioid misuse. Logistic regression models consider the association between these 2 measures. Models account for underlying mental health alongside additional covariates.

Results: Levels of social withdrawal and prescription opioid misuse remained relatively constant across observation years. A significant association exists between social withdrawal and past-year prescription opioid misuse. We find increasing odds of past-year prescription opioid misuse across social withdrawal severity levels. Severe social withdrawal across measures is associated with 1.59 (95% CI = 1.28, 1.98) to 2.1 (95% CI = 1.74, 2.48) times higher odds of past-year prescription opioid misuse relative to no social withdrawal. Predicted probabilities of misuse are 1% among those with no social withdrawal, but 6% among those experiencing severe social withdrawal. A nonsignificant interaction shows this relationship is consistent across years. These estimates are robust to numerous controls and alternative specifications.

Discussion and implications: Prescription opioid misuse is associated with social withdrawal. Social withdrawal is bound up with, and yet independent of, mental and physical health. Addressing the social causes of social withdrawal, as well as mental and physical health, could advance addressing opioid misuse among older adults.

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美国老年人的社交退缩和处方阿片类药物滥用。

背景和目的：文献表明社会孤立与物质使用之间存在关联。虽然相关，但社会退缩是一个较少受到关注的概念。鉴于处方药通常被老年人滥用，本文通过研究社交戒断与处方阿片类药物滥用之间的关系来为文献做出贡献。研究设计和方法：我们使用2009年至2022年美国国家药物使用和健康调查的数据，重点关注50+的受访者(N = 111,386；54.8%的女性;74.1%非西班牙裔白人)。社交退缩是用世界卫生组织残疾评估量表中的3个项目来衡量的，这些项目可以是单独的，也可以是一个量表，捕捉外出、与陌生人打交道和参加社交活动时所经历的社交退缩严重程度。我们的结果是过去一年的处方阿片类药物滥用。逻辑回归模型考虑了这两个度量之间的关联。模型考虑了潜在的心理健康以及其他协变量。结果：社交戒断和处方阿片类药物滥用的水平在观察期间保持相对恒定。社交退缩与过去一年处方阿片类药物滥用之间存在显著关联。我们发现过去一年处方阿片类药物滥用的几率在社会戒断严重程度上有所增加。严重的社会退缩与过去一年处方阿片类药物滥用的几率比无社会退缩高1.59倍（95% CI = 1.28, 1.98）至2.1倍（95% CI = 1.74, 2.48）。在没有社交退缩的人群中，滥用药物的预测概率为1%，而在严重社交退缩的人群中，这一概率为6%。一项不显著的相互作用表明，这种关系在多年间是一致的。这些估计对于许多控制和可选规范都是可靠的。讨论和启示：处方阿片类药物滥用与社交退缩有关。社交退缩与身心健康密切相关，但又独立于身心健康之外。解决社会退缩的社会原因以及身心健康问题，可以推动解决老年人滥用阿片类药物的问题。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Innovation in Aging GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY-

CiteScore

4.10

自引率

0.00%

发文量

审稿时长

15 weeks

期刊介绍： Innovation in Aging, an interdisciplinary Open Access journal of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), is dedicated to publishing innovative, conceptually robust, and methodologically rigorous research focused on aging and the life course. The journal aims to present studies with the potential to significantly enhance the health, functionality, and overall well-being of older adults by translating scientific insights into practical applications. Research published in the journal spans a variety of settings, including community, clinical, and laboratory contexts, with a clear emphasis on issues that are directly pertinent to aging and the dynamics of life over time. The content of the journal mirrors the diverse research interests of GSA members and encompasses a range of study types. These include the validation of new conceptual or theoretical models, assessments of factors impacting the health and well-being of older adults, evaluations of interventions and policies, the implementation of groundbreaking research methodologies, interdisciplinary research that adapts concepts and methods from other fields to aging studies, and the use of modeling and simulations to understand factors and processes influencing aging outcomes. The journal welcomes contributions from scholars across various disciplines, such as technology, engineering, architecture, economics, business, law, political science, public policy, education, public health, social and psychological sciences, biomedical and health sciences, and the humanities and arts, reflecting a holistic approach to advancing knowledge in gerontology.