Journal article
Older Adult Substance Use Treatment First-Time Admissions Between 2008 and 2018
The American journal of geriatric psychiatry, Vol.30(10), pp.1055-1063
10/2022
DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2022.03.003
PMID: 35418347
Abstract
•What is the primary question addressed by this study?This study describes the trends between 2008 and 2018 of first-time admissions to substance use treatment for older adults (55 years and older).•What is the main finding of this study?The proportion of older adult admissions increased between 2008 and 2018 relative to younger adults. The first-time admissions with heroin as primary substance changed from 10% to 22% in this period.•What is the meaning of the finding?Given these trends in substance use and treatment among older adults, substance use treatment programs must adapt to meet the needs of an older population.
To see whether the percentage of older adults entering substance use treatment for their first time continued to increase and whether there were changes in the use patterns leading to the treatment episode, particularly an increase in illicit drugs.
Public administrative health record study.
The Treatment Episode Data Sets publicly available from the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration from 2008 to 2018.
Young adults age 30–54 years (N = 3,327,903) and older adults age 55 years and older (N = 453,598) with a first-time admission for a publicly funded substance use treatment.
Demographic and substance use history variables at admission.
The proportion of older adults going for substance use treatment for the first time continued to increase between 2008 and 2018 relative to younger adults, continuing the trend of increasing first-time admission between 1998 and 2008. For the first time, the primary substance at admission for older adults was an illicit substance only, surpassing alcohol only and the combination of alcohol and illicit drug use. In this period, use of opioids, particularly heroin, and methamphetamine increased among older adults entering treatment.
As our population ages and substance use trends change, healthcare providers that take care of older adults must have skills to prevent, screen for, diagnose, and treat substance use disorders. Given recent trends in substance use and treatment among older adults, substance use treatment programs must adapt to meet the needs of an older population.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Older Adult Substance Use Treatment First-Time Admissions Between 2008 and 2018
- Creators
- Andrea Weber - Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Instituto de Cálculo, Universidad de Buenos Aires - ConicetAlison Lynch - University of IowaBenjamin Miskle - Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Instituto de Cálculo, Universidad de Buenos Aires - ConicetStephan Arndt - University of IowaLaura Acion - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- The American journal of geriatric psychiatry, Vol.30(10), pp.1055-1063
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jagp.2022.03.003
- PMID
- 35418347
- NLM abbreviation
- Am J Geriatr Psychiatry
- ISSN
- 1064-7481
- eISSN
- 1545-7214
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 10/2022
- Academic Unit
- Psychiatry; Biostatistics; Addiction Medicine; Family and Community Medicine; Nursing; Pharmacy Practice and Science; Injury Prevention Research Center; Internal Medicine
- Record Identifier
- 9984296259402771
Metrics
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