Predictors and Correlates of Positive Urine Drug Screening in a Retrospective Cohort Analysis of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Inpatients Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background and objectives: Youth substance use is associated with significant psychological, neurological, and medical complications. Risk factors for substance use among children and adolescents in the general population include peer and/or parental substance use, certain psychiatric illnesses (eg, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, depression), and history of maltreatment. Co-occurring substance use and psychiatric illness have been associated with increased suicidality, but few prior studies have characterized substance use among child/adolescent inpatients. As such, it remains unclear how substance use contributing to acute psychiatric presentations has changed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of 816 unique child/adolescent psychiatry inpatients with urine drug screening (UDS) results from a diverse urban setting. Charts of patients hospitalized between June 1, 2018 and November 30, 2021 were reviewed for sociodemographic characteristics, indication for admission, psychiatric history, hospital course, treatment plan, and discharge diagnosis. Differences in sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, such as age, race, and diagnoses, between patients with and without positive UDS were explored throughout various periods of the COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive and comparative statistics were performed, as well as a logistic regression model to identify the predictors of positive UDS.

Results: Of the study sample, 18% had a positive UDS. Older age, diagnosis of impulsive or behavioral disorder, and a history of violence were found to be predictors of positive UDS. Asian/South Asian or Hispanic/LatinX race and history of a developmental or intellectual disability were found to be negative predictors. The frequency of positive UDS in this population did not change based on COVID-19.

Discussion and conclusions: Multiple factors may predispose children and adolescents to substance use. Though no impact of COVID-19 was found in this sample, longer-term studies are needed.

Scientific significance: This study identifies independent predictors of active substance use in the child and adolescent psychiatric inpatient population.