Clinical profiles of people enrolling in alcohol and other drug treatment in Australia: Do youth differ from young adults and adults?

Introduction

To examine and compare age groups on socio-demographic, substance use, mental health, social and risk behaviour profiles of people entering alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment in a large non-government organisation (NGO) in Queensland and New South Wales, Australia.

Methods

Design—Cross-sectional study; analysis of baseline routine outcome measures (ROM) and AOD minimum datasets for drug and alcohol treatment services. Setting and participants—People enrolling in Lives Lived Well, a large NGO AOD service between November 2020 and October 2022. Main outcome measures—Socio-demographic, substance use, mental health, social factors and risk behaviours, by youth (≤24 years), young adults (25–35 years) and adults (>35 years).

Results

Between November 2020 and October 2022, 9413 clients enrolled in Lives Lived Well (LLW) AOD services and completed baseline ROMs. Over one-fifth (21.9%) were youth (n = 2066), one-third (32.4%) were young adults (n = 3052) and just under half (45.6%) were adults >35 years (n = 4295). The most common primary drug of concern was cannabis for youth, methamphetamine for young adults and alcohol for adults >35 years. Nearly two-thirds (61.3%) reported moderate to severe symptoms of depression and 55.0% reported moderate to severe anxiety. Just under half (47.2%) screened positive for PTSD and two-in-five (40.4%) reported recent suicidal ideation. Co-occurring mental health symptoms were more common in youth compared with young adults and adults >35 years.

Discussion and Conclusions

Co-occurring mental health symptoms were high in the sample, particularly among youth. All age groups present with unique and complex socio-demographic and clinical profiles that are important to understand to provide the most appropriate and effective treatment.