The Opioid Crisis and Schools—A Commentary

Adolescents have an increased susceptibility for substance use due to a number of risk factors, ranging from genetic heritability, peer influences, adverse childhood experiences, and a low perceived risk of harm. Around 1.3 million, or 5.1% of adolescents ages 12 to 17 need treatment for a substance...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of school health 2018-05, Vol.88 (5), p.337-340
Main Authors: Welsh, Justine W., Tretyak, Valeria, Rappaport, Nancy
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescents
Adverse childhood experiences
Childhood experiences
Childrens health
Drug abuse
Drug Use
Heritability
Heroin
High School Students
Medical screening
Narcotics
Nursing
Opioids
Public health
Risk behavior
Risk factors
Risk perception
Risk taking
Schools
Secondary schools
Substance abuse
Substance use
Susceptibility
Teenagers
Treatment needs
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Adolescents have an increased susceptibility for substance use due to a number of risk factors, ranging from genetic heritability, peer influences, adverse childhood experiences, and a low perceived risk of harm. Around 1.3 million, or 5.1% of adolescents ages 12 to 17 need treatment for a substance use problem. Unfortunately, only 6.3% of those who needed treatment in 2015 were able to access specialized care. Many of these adolescents are actively using substances and struggling in school. According to the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 21.7% of high school students have been offered, sold, or given an illegal drug on school premises in the last 12 months. The use of prescription opioids for nonmedical purposes has been increasing, with 12.4% of students endorsing a lifetime nonmedical use of these drugs. Approximately 20% of 12th grade students describe heroin as either ‘‘fairly easy’’ or ‘‘very easy’’ to obtain. Given the ongoing opioid crisis, school personnel should have an understanding of reasons for opioid use, signs of active use, existing screening tools, and how to respond effectively. A common misconception is that teenagers are only ‘‘experimenting’’ when they use substances.
ISSN:0022-4391
1746-1561
DOI:10.1111/josh.12617