Polydrug use in Australian 12-14 year olds from 2006 to 2017: an examination of drug use profiles, emotional control problems, and family relationship characteristics

ABSTRACT Objective This study examined the nature and prevalence of polydrug use in 12–14 year old Australians. Method Three Australian school surveys (2006, n=4091; 2009, n=5635; 2017, n=1539; age 12–14 years) spanning 11 years were used. Substances included alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, inhalant, and other illicit substances. Risk factors included depressed mood, low emotional control, poor family management and conflict, and academic performance. Latent class analysis was used to discern classes. Regression analyses were used to test the association of risk factors with classes. Results Consistent across surveys, there was a class of adolescents who engaged in wide-ranging polydrug use, with prevalences ranging from 0.44% (2006) to 1.78% (2017). Emotional control problems, low academic performance, and poor family management were elevated in the polydrug class. Conclusion A small proportion of 12–14-year-old adolescents engage in polydrug use. Interventions focusing on family risks and emotional control problems may be beneficial. Key points What is already known about this topic In Australia, adolescents have generally reduced their use of alcohol and tobacco over recent decades. Most research is based on patterns of use of single substances in mid-to-late adolescence, but we know that a significant proportion of older Australian adolescents engage in polydrug use. Family relationship quality has been associated with drug use amongst older adolescents and young adults but may have an especially significant association with polydrug use amongst younger adolescents given key biopsychosocial transitions occurring around this age. What this research adds: A small but meaningful proportion of Australian 12–14-year-olds engage in polydrug use. The nature of polydrug use amongst young Australian adolescents has shifted since 2006, with profiles showing decreased tobacco use and continuing challenges in addressing alcohol, cannabis and inhalant use amongst young adolescents. This group also reported poor family management, poor emotional control, and academic failure. The results highlight the importance of detection and targeted early intervention for a subgroup of young adolescents who may have developed risky drug use patterns across the transition to high school.