Adolescent Dating Violence and Nonmedical Prescription Drug Use.

Abstract

* Abbreviations: DV — : dating violence NMUPD — : nonmedical use of prescription drugs In this issue of Pediatrics , Clayton et al1 report on the associations between adolescent dating violence (DV) victimization and the nonmedical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD) using the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. Given our national focus on the opioid epidemic, studies on associations of NMUPD with other health risk exposures among adolescents, such as DV victimization, are timely. Because most researchers conducting studies on NMUPD among adolescents have relied on emergency department samples or limited geographic areas, researchers conducting a study using nationally representative data to estimate prevalence ratios add needed perspective. With a sample of 10 443 male- and female-identified US high school students who had dated in the past 12 months, Clayton et al1 provide sex-stratified analyses revealing that experiencing both physical and sexual DV victimization is associated with NMUPD for both sex categories. Stratifying by sex category identifies some subtle but important differences. Among boys, there is an association of lifetime NMUPD with sexual violence victimization, whereas among girls, lifetime NMUPD is associated with physical DV victimization. Among girls, NMUPD is associated with a higher frequency of sexual violence victimization … Address correspondence to Elizabeth Miller, MD, PhD, Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Oakland Medical Building, 3420 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. E-mail: elizabeth.miller{at}chp.edu