{"title":"Intensifying Substance Use Trends among Youth: A Narrative Review of Recent Trends and Implications.","authors":"Nicholas A Harris, Elissa R Weitzman","doi":"10.1007/s11920-024-01554-9","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>Substance use among adolescents and young adults remains a critical public health concern, with patterns shifting dramatically in recent years. This narrative review examines trends in substance use behaviors during and following the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>Epidemiologic evidence shows declines in the proportion of youth who are using most substances but intensified consumption patterns with rising levels of disorder among adolescents who use substances. This picture may reflect the greater potency, availability and accessibility of substances, vulnerabilities related to poor mental health, minoritization, as well as social factors including pandemic stressors, commercial and regulatory forces - in short, features of the agent (substance), host (person), and environment (context), consistent with a public health formulation. Understanding trends in youth substance use and related problems, especially in the context of contributing factors, is critical for informing clinical care strategies and public health interventions to improve outcomes for youth across diverse populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":11057,"journal":{"name":"Current Psychiatry Reports","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.5000,"publicationDate":"2024-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Current Psychiatry Reports","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-024-01554-9","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PSYCHIATRY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose of review: Substance use among adolescents and young adults remains a critical public health concern, with patterns shifting dramatically in recent years. This narrative review examines trends in substance use behaviors during and following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recent findings: Epidemiologic evidence shows declines in the proportion of youth who are using most substances but intensified consumption patterns with rising levels of disorder among adolescents who use substances. This picture may reflect the greater potency, availability and accessibility of substances, vulnerabilities related to poor mental health, minoritization, as well as social factors including pandemic stressors, commercial and regulatory forces - in short, features of the agent (substance), host (person), and environment (context), consistent with a public health formulation. Understanding trends in youth substance use and related problems, especially in the context of contributing factors, is critical for informing clinical care strategies and public health interventions to improve outcomes for youth across diverse populations.
期刊介绍:
This journal aims to review the most important, recently published research in psychiatry. By providing clear, insightful, balanced contributions by international experts, the journal intends to serve all those involved in the care of those affected by psychiatric disorders.
We accomplish this aim by appointing international authorities to serve as Section Editors in key subject areas, such as anxiety, medicopsychiatric disorders, and schizophrenia and other related psychotic disorders. Section Editors, in turn, select topics for which leading experts contribute comprehensive review articles that emphasize new developments and recently published papers of major importance, highlighted by annotated reference lists. An international Editorial Board reviews the annual table of contents, suggests articles of special interest to their country/region, and ensures that topics are current and include emerging research. Commentaries from well-known figures in the field are also provided.