Non-medical use of prescription drugs and adverse childhood experiences among US high school students participating in a nationally representative study

Background Non-medical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD) among adolescents has become an increasing concern in the US Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are traumatic events caused by a caregiver. Few studies have assessed the relationship between current NMUPD and ACEs among adolescents.Methods Data for this study were derived from the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a representative sample of US high school students. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association between current NMUPD and experiencing ACEs, controlling for sex, race, and year in school.Results Adolescents who had been insulted, physically hurt, or made to do something sexually by a parent were significantly more likely to report NMUPD. Adolescents who had ever lived with a parent who had an alcohol/drug problem or mental illness were significantly more likely to report NMUPD.Conclusions The results of this study found that adolescents exposed to ACEs were at increased odds of NMUPD.