Estimated Prevalence of Substance Use Disorders Among US Adolescents and Emerging Adults by Substance Class, Severity, and Age, 2022

Abstract

Objective: Substance use disorders (SUDs) often develop during adolescence, forecasting myriad health problems across the lifespan. Implementing responsive clinical services requires information about the prevalence of SUDs by age, substance class, and severity. However, no reports have summarized those data using DSM-5 criteria. Method: Using 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data from participants 12 to 25 years of age (n = 26,276), the prevalence and severity of DSM-5 SUDs was estimated across age cohorts (12-13, 14-15, 16-17, 18-20, and 21-25 years) via χ2 tests of independence. The Cramer V (φ c ) was also calculated for each outcome to approximate the effect size between age group and substance use outcome. Results: Although past-year rates for alcohol and cannabis use were higher overall as age cohort increased, the prevalence of disordered use and proportional distribution of SUD severity (mild, moderate, severe) did not differ across age cohorts among those who used alcohol (φ c = 0.04) and cannabis (φ c = 0.04) in the past year. Conversely, the prevalence and severity of SUDs generally varied across age groups among those who reported past-year use of less commonly used substances (heroin, methamphetamine). Conclusion: Meeting criteria for an SUD was common among youth with past-year substance use. Allocation of developmentally appropriate prevention and treatment resources should account for the distribution of mild to severe SUDs across adolescence. The field would likely benefit from further study of these issues in diverse samples.