Methamphetamine Use Among Adolescents

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Methamphetamine Use Among Adolescents Young
Adults
Rachel Gonzales, Pre-Doctoral Fellow UCLA
Integrated Substance Abuse Programs NPI - Semel
Institute for Neuroscience
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Presentation Objectives

• Examine MA use trends among youth specific to the
  West
• Highlight unique gender differences
• Examine plausible risk factors associated with
  use
• Future directions for research

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What do we know about the problem?

• Most widely used sources
• National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)
• Monitoring the Future Study (MTF)
• Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS)

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Past Month Drug Use Rates
Source NIDA, Monitoring the Future, Natl
Results on Adolescent Drug Use, 2004.
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Measurement Challenges

• While beneficial, national surveys tend to
  underrepresent youth at risk for drug use
• Dropouts and delinquent youth
• Homeless and runaways
• Foster care youth

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Other Sources

• Adolescent Treatment Programs
• Juvenile Justice System
• Emergency Room Data
• Reveal that MA use is a problem by young people.

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Primary Drug Problem Among Adolescent Young
Adult Treatment Admissions 2004
17 years and under
18-25 years old
Source LA County ADPA, July 2003-April 2004
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Juvenile Justice Data

• Since 2000, a significant proportion of juveniles
  aged 12 to 18 in CA have tested positive for
  dangerous drugs (including MA, PCP, and LSD) upon
  arrest.
• In the second half of 2002, 22 of male arrestees
  aged 18 to 21 in Los Angeles County tested
  positive for MA.

Source Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM)
System
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Extent of Adolescent Drug Use Mentioned in DAWN
ED System, LA-Long Beach, 2002
12-17 year olds 18-25 year olds
Inhalants 72.5 10.0
Marijuana 12 11.8
Meth 8.1 32.6
Alcohol 4.7 17.6
PCP 4.4 30.4
Cocaine 1.9 15.1
Heroin 0 10.0
Percent of all mentions for each substance
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Gender Differences

• MA use has become increasingly problematic among
  adolescent and young adult females

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Adolescent (lt18) Treatment Admissions by Gender
July 2003-April 2004
FEMALES
MALES
Source LA county ADP
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Treatment Studies

• Research on drug treatment outcome studies among
  adolescents is limited.
• Very few published studies specific to MA and
  youth.
• Recent articles on MA and youth in Taiwan growing.

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Matrix Treatment Study N305 adolescents 13 to 18
years old
N90
N215
Source Rawson et al., 2005
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• Matrix Treatment Study found
• Older teens (ages 17-18) more likely to use than
  younger youth.
• Greater psychological legal dysfunction than
  non-MA users.
• More alcohol and drug use during treatment than
  non-MA users.
• Greater drop out rates than non-MA users.
• No injectors (14 smoke, 12 smoke/snort, 4
  snort)

Source Rawson et al., 2005
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• Phoenix House Treatment Found
• MA accounted for 42.3 of teen treatment
  admissions in 2005.
• 16 increase in MA admissions between 2002 and
  2005 (172 to 210).
• More youth females are presenting for treatment
  with MA problem than males.
• Year Boys Girls
• 2002 25 43
• 2003 23 51
• 2004 27 53

Source CBS2 News Story, 2006
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MA Admission Trends LA County 2000-05
N5,527
Source LA County ADP, 2006
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Gender Differences LA County
N5,527
Source LA County ADP, 2006
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MA Use by Ethnicity LA County
N943
Source LA County ADP, 2006
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• 3 year CASA study on adolescents 8 to 22 years
  old found
• Females became dependent upon MA faster.
• Females suffered more adverse effects sooner than
  males.

Source National Center on Addiction and
Substance Abuse at Columbia University, 2003
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Risk Factors for MA Use
Largely understudied area
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Anecdotal Reports

• Clinicians indicate low self-esteem, depressive
  symptoms, eating disorder make girls especially
  vulnerable to use and continued misuse of MA
• Deviant behavioral problems in males ASPD, ADHD
  make males vulnerable to MA use (Yen Chung,
  2006)

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CASA Study Female Risk Factors
Physical Abuse
Sexual Abuse
Low Self Esteem
MA Abuse
Tension
Depression
Weight Concerns
Source National Center on Addiction and
Substance Abuse at Columbia University, 2003
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Risk Factors among adolescents in Matrix Treatment
(Matrix Sample) plt.001
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Other Factors to Consider

• Readily available to youth
• Simple, home-made manufacturing
• Cheap
• Easy access to primary chemicals at local
  merchants

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Adolescent Story

• One teen resident at Phoenix House who shared his
  story of MA addiction said
• When I first tried crystal meth, I
  automatically fell in love. I had finally found
  the drug that I was looking for. The stuff was
  pretty cheap and it was very easy for me to get.

Source CBS2 News Story, 2006
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Clinical Characteristics

• Cognitive dysfunction
• Rapid mood swings
• Hyperactivity Impulsivity
• Lesion-marked skin
• Depression
• Paranoia Psychoses (auditory hallucinations)

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Risky Behaviors

• Agitation Aggressive Behaviors
• Partner Violence
• Multiple sex partners unprotected sex
• Suicide

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Relapse Antecedents for MA Use

• Social pressure Social In-adaptation
• Lack of emotional stability
• Low educational level
• Psychiatric Disorder Status

Yen Chang, 2005 (Taiwanese sample, N60)
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Summary Key Points

• Researchers need to be aware of other critical
  data sources to understand the scope of MA use
  among youth
• It remains unclear which risk factors are
  occurring for MA use and between the sexes

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Future Research

• More studies to look at specific risk factors for
  MA use relapse
• Other study populations should include
• Homeless/runaway youth
• Juvenile justice system youth
• Child welfare system (foster care) youth
• Issues of HIV Risk Behaviors and Violence
• Developmental processes

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Acknowledgments

• Richard Rawson
• Beth Rutkowski
• CA Department Alcohol Drugs
• LA County Department Alcohol Drugs
• Jim Peck

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Questions?

• For copies of slides or a reference list, please
  contact me at
• rachelmg_at_ucla.edu
• [phone] ext. 346