Prevalence and Correlates of Prescription Drug Misuse Among Young, Low-Income Women Receiving Public Healthcare

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence and correlates of prescription drug misuse among young, low-income women seeking care at a public clinic in Texas. Collected data on 2,976 women included frequency of use, demographic and reproductive characteristics, religiosity, smoking history, concurrent substance use, depressive symptoms, perceived stress, health beliefs, and exposure to traumatic events. Overall, 30% reported ever misusing a prescription drug and 15% reported misuse in the past year. Women who initiated sexual intercourse at younger than 15 years, used illicit drugs, and smoked everyday were more likely to have misused prescription drugs. Higher trauma, stress, and posttraumatic stress scores also were associated with ever misusing prescription drugs. This study adds to limited data available on medication misuse by young women who have few resources and demonstrates needs for prevention efforts in public clinics.

KEYWORDS:

• Prescription drugs
• misuse
• nonmedical use
• young women
• low-income
• public health clinic

Acknowledgments

Dr. Berenson is supported by a Midcareer Investigator Award In Patient-Oriented Research (K24HD043659) from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Content of this manuscript is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of NIH/NICHD.