Characterization of Past Year Prescription Opioids Misusers

Characterization of Past Year Prescription Opioids Misusers by Pain and Non-pain Reasons

Characterization of Past Year Prescription Opioids Misusers Sara Warfield and Dr. Robert Bossarte

This project utilized 2015-2016 data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) which is conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) to better understand the reason why people misuse opioid pain relievers (OPRs). The main objective of this project was to examine the prevalence of OPR misuse by reason for misuse (pain vs. non pain reasons) among various age groups. Findings from this project will inform public health interventions that are designed to reduce misuse for specific ages and individuals most at risk by better understanding motivation. Results from this project are currently under review (for publication).