Trends in treatment attendance for substance use disorders among adolescents and emerging adults in Australia, 2003–2020

IF 3.6 2区医学 Q1 PSYCHIATRY

Drug and alcohol dependence Pub Date : 2025-08-20 DOI:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2025.112845

Megan Wells , Peter J. Kelly , Briony Larance

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Substance use disorders frequently begin in adolescence and emerging adulthood. Knowledge of trends in alcohol and other drug (AOD) service utilisation during these periods can inform policy development to align service delivery with treatment need.

Aims

Characterise trends in AOD treatment episodes among adolescents (aged 10–17) and emerging adults (aged 18–24) across Australia, and compare to adult trends (aged ≥25).

Methods

National data from the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services – National Minimum Data Set were analysed (N = 2904,012). Joinpoint regression analysis was used to characterise trends in principal drug of concern, treatment setting, planned completion, and sex.

Results

Cannabis was the most common principal substance of concern for adolescents and emerging adults. The proportions of episodes relating to cannabis, alcohol, and psychostimulants for emerging adults was stable from 2015 onward, while alcohol-related episodes declined for adolescents. Most episodes were provided in non-residential services, and treatment provision in home/outreach settings increased over time. 59.0 % of episodes for emerging adults and 64.4 % of episodes provided to adolescents (excluding assessment and information/education only) were completed. From 2014–2016 onward, an increase in the proportion of episodes provided to females among all three age groups was observed.

Conclusions

Observed trends in principal substance of concern were largely consistent with national and international drug market trends. The findings can inform service and policy development, with targeted attention toward the treatment of cannabis and psychostimulant use for younger populations indicated. Relatively stable treatment completion rates highlight the need for ongoing efforts to retain young people.

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2003-2020年澳大利亚青少年和新生成人药物使用障碍的治疗出勤趋势

物质使用障碍通常始于青春期和成年初期。了解这些时期酒精和其他药物（AOD）服务使用趋势可以为政策制定提供信息，使服务提供与治疗需求保持一致。目的分析澳大利亚青少年（10-17岁）和初成人（18-24岁）AOD治疗发作的趋势，并与成人（≥25岁）趋势进行比较。方法分析全国酒精和其他药物治疗服务-全国最低数据集的数据（N = 2904,012）。使用联结点回归分析来描述主要关注药物、治疗环境、计划完成和性别的趋势。结果青少年和初出期成人最常关注的主要物质是大麻。从2015年开始，与大麻、酒精和精神兴奋剂有关的发作比例在新生成人中保持稳定，而与酒精有关的发作在青少年中下降。大多数发作是在非住宅服务中提供的，随着时间的推移，家庭/外展环境中的治疗提供也在增加。初出期成人的59.0%和青少年的64.4%（不包括评估和信息/教育）完成了治疗。从2014-2016年起，观察到所有三个年龄组中提供给女性的剧集比例都有所增加。结论观察到的主要关注物质的变化趋势与国内外药品市场趋势基本一致。研究结果可以为服务和政策制定提供信息，并有针对性地关注年轻人群使用大麻和精神兴奋剂的治疗。相对稳定的治疗完成率突出表明需要继续努力留住年轻人。

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

Drug and alcohol dependence 医学-精神病学

CiteScore

7.40

自引率

7.10%

发文量

409

审稿时长

41 days

期刊介绍： Drug and Alcohol Dependence is an international journal devoted to publishing original research, scholarly reviews, commentaries, and policy analyses in the area of drug, alcohol and tobacco use and dependence. Articles range from studies of the chemistry of substances of abuse, their actions at molecular and cellular sites, in vitro and in vivo investigations of their biochemical, pharmacological and behavioural actions, laboratory-based and clinical research in humans, substance abuse treatment and prevention research, and studies employing methods from epidemiology, sociology, and economics.