Benzodiazepine Misuse Among Teenagers in the United States

The misuse of benzodiazepines (BZs) among adolescents is an important issue within the fields of public and behavioral health. Though a considerable amount of research attention is paid to prescription medication misuse, a relatively small number of studies focus on adolescent BZ misuse. As a result, little is known about the epidemiology of adolescent BZ misuse and the demographic and psychosocial factors that place young people at-risk. This presentation will describe the extent, drivers, and consequences of BZ misuse in this population. Additionally, the authors estimated logistic regression models using data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health to determine which factors were associated with an increased risk of BZ misuse. These findings help to describe the psychosocial profile of adolescent BZ misusers which should increase the ability of clinicians to identify patients who may be at greater risk for misuse. This study is particularly important within the context of prevention, where a clearer understanding of adolescent BZ misuse is critical for informing interventions and developing best practices for prescribing BZs.