Contextual risk among adolescents receiving opioid prescriptions for acute pain in pediatric ambulatory care settings

Genevieve F. Dash, Sarah W. Feldstein Ewing, Corrin Murphy, Karen A. Hudson, Anna C. Wilson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

Many adults with opioid use disorder (OUD) report that their first exposure to opioids was in the course of routine pain treatment in medical care settings. Adolescents receive opioid prescriptions with frequency, but are susceptible to a constellation of unique risks in the context of pain management. This empirical study presents the first cohort of adolescents recruited from ambulatory medical care within 72 h of their receipt of opioids to treat acute pain. The primary aim was to capture a time-sensitive report of the intersection of prescription opioid receipt and contextual risks for opioid misuse related to pain experience, mental health symptoms, and substance use at the adolescent and parental levels. Data were collected from 70 14–19-year-old adolescents and their accompanying parent. Results reflected that 90% of this sample of adolescents reported 2 or more risks and 35% reported 5 or more risks for future opioid misuse. Pain catastrophizing (46%) and alcohol use (40%) and were the most common adolescent-level risk factors; mother history of chronic pain (32%) and parent anxiety (21%) were the most common parent-level risk factors. Past-week parent pain intensity showed the strongest association with adolescent past-week pain intensity; neither was associated with adolescent OUD symptoms. Adolescent pain catastrophizing most reliably predicted OUD symptoms; parent pain interference was also associated. Seventy-one percent of parents reported keeping opioids at home, a relevant risk factor for future misuse. These findings illuminate the intersection between adolescent and parental risks in the context of pediatric opioid prescribing for acute pain management, and provide initial insight into potential points of prevention early in adolescent pain treatment, including avenues by which to inform and enhance prescriber decision-making regarding factors to be weighed in adolescent candidacy for opioid therapy.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number106314
JournalAddictive Behaviors
Volume104
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2020

Keywords

  • Adolescents
  • Family factors
  • Opioid use
  • Pain
  • Prescription

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Medicine (miscellaneous)
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Toxicology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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