The Effect of Mental Illness, Socioeconomic and Demographic Factors on the Severity of Opioid Use Disorder in the U.S.
Location
D.P. Culp Center Ballroom
Start Date
4-5-2024 9:00 AM
End Date
4-5-2024 11:30 AM
Poster Number
170
Name of Project's Faculty Sponsor
Kelly Foster
Faculty Sponsor's Department
Sociology and Anthropology
Competition Type
Competitive
Type
Poster Presentation
Presentation Category
Social Sciences
Abstract or Artist's Statement
This study examines the complex relationship between demographic and socioeconomic factors, and one’s mental health and the impact that these may have on the severity of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). An alarming increase in opioid addiction is a contributing factor to recent decreases in U.S. life expectancy (Opioid Use Disorder, 2022). Overdose deaths occurred predominantly in metropolitan and urban settings until 2009, when rural America faced the maximum increase in overdose death rates between 2009-2012 (Rossen et al., 2013). Among people with OUD, those with co-occurring mental disorders are more likely to have a higher severity of the disorder (Santo et al., 2022). With OUD’s emergence creating a national crisis, it is essential to understand what individual and societal factors may impact the risk of developing opioid use disorder and to what severity. This research utilized the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an in-person and web-based multiyear data collection, to measure various components of America’s health. The NSDUH is an annual survey of the noninstitutionalized United States population of twelve years and older. This carefully chosen sample uses a multistage, intensely ranked sample design based on each state’s combined size, geographically dividing the state into proportionately sized sampling regions. A sample of 48 census territories was randomly selected. Two residencies and two household members over twelve were designated, resulting in a sample size 58177. This research recognizes the importance of considering multiple dimensions at once, focusing on six key contributing factors as predictors of the severity of opioid use: gender, region, income, age, age of first opioid use, and mental health. The severity of OUD was calculated using the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual edition 5), which categorizes the severity of substance use disorder as mild, moderate, or severe based on eleven criteria. Mental illness was examined using the K-6 Psychological Distress Score and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS), which contains an abbreviated scale used to obtain information on impairment due to infliction. To empirically test the predictors of OUD, I will be using an ordinal logistic regression model to test the impact of mental health on the severity of opioid use disorder. Analysis of this data is ongoing and will be presented in full at the Appalachian Student Research Forum. Based on previous research, I expect to find that gender, region, age, total family income, and age of first use are significant predictors of the severity of OUD.
The Effect of Mental Illness, Socioeconomic and Demographic Factors on the Severity of Opioid Use Disorder in the U.S.
D.P. Culp Center Ballroom
This study examines the complex relationship between demographic and socioeconomic factors, and one’s mental health and the impact that these may have on the severity of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). An alarming increase in opioid addiction is a contributing factor to recent decreases in U.S. life expectancy (Opioid Use Disorder, 2022). Overdose deaths occurred predominantly in metropolitan and urban settings until 2009, when rural America faced the maximum increase in overdose death rates between 2009-2012 (Rossen et al., 2013). Among people with OUD, those with co-occurring mental disorders are more likely to have a higher severity of the disorder (Santo et al., 2022). With OUD’s emergence creating a national crisis, it is essential to understand what individual and societal factors may impact the risk of developing opioid use disorder and to what severity. This research utilized the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an in-person and web-based multiyear data collection, to measure various components of America’s health. The NSDUH is an annual survey of the noninstitutionalized United States population of twelve years and older. This carefully chosen sample uses a multistage, intensely ranked sample design based on each state’s combined size, geographically dividing the state into proportionately sized sampling regions. A sample of 48 census territories was randomly selected. Two residencies and two household members over twelve were designated, resulting in a sample size 58177. This research recognizes the importance of considering multiple dimensions at once, focusing on six key contributing factors as predictors of the severity of opioid use: gender, region, income, age, age of first opioid use, and mental health. The severity of OUD was calculated using the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual edition 5), which categorizes the severity of substance use disorder as mild, moderate, or severe based on eleven criteria. Mental illness was examined using the K-6 Psychological Distress Score and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS), which contains an abbreviated scale used to obtain information on impairment due to infliction. To empirically test the predictors of OUD, I will be using an ordinal logistic regression model to test the impact of mental health on the severity of opioid use disorder. Analysis of this data is ongoing and will be presented in full at the Appalachian Student Research Forum. Based on previous research, I expect to find that gender, region, age, total family income, and age of first use are significant predictors of the severity of OUD.