Latent Classes of Nonmedical Prescription Tranquilizer Use Motives in US Adolescents and Young Adults

Abstract

Background:

Adolescent (12-17 years) and young adult (18-25 years) nonmedical use of prescription tranquilizer medication (ie, short-acting benzodiazepines) is linked to high rates of other substance use and psychopathology. Using probability-based US survey data, we sought to identify nonmedical tranquilizer use motive latent classes by age group and identified links between latent class membership and other substance use and mental health outcomes.

Methods:

Data were from the 2015 to 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (67 971 adolescents; 69 432 young adults), with motive data from 889 unweighted adolescents and 2819 unweighted young adults. Latent class analysis identified subgroups based on motives, accounting for the complex sampling, and with the most likely class membership assigned via a modal approach. Logistic regression linked latent class membership to substance use, mental health, and sociodemographic characteristics.

Results:

Analyses revealed 5 adolescent latent classes: Relax (35.0%), Multi-Motive (26.3%), Experimenter (22.0%), Sleep (9.2%), and Emotional Coping (7.4%). There were also 7 young adult classes: Relax (30.2%), Sleep (18.8%), Multi-Motive/High (17.1%), Experimenter (13.9%), Emotional Coping/Relax (12.8%), Multi-Motive/Self-Treatment (4.8%), and Other Drug Enhancement (2.4%). Within those engaged in nonmedical use, the adolescent and young adult multi-motive classes with frequent endorsement of “to get high” had the highest odds of other substance use and mental health concerns.

Conclusion:

Latent class profiles based on nonmedical tranquilizer use motives differ between adolescents and young adults, though the Multi-Motive classes with frequent endorsement of “to get high” are in greatest need of identification and intervention.