Optimism and opioid misuse among justice-involved children

Abstract

AimAdolescents in the criminal justice system, called justice-involved children (JIC), are particularly vulnerable in the modern opioid misuse (OM) epidemic. After release, relapse and overdose occur at higher rates than the general population. The current study assesses optimism and likelihood of P30D consumption of non-prescription or illicit opioids among JIC. MethodsThe study examines a sample of 79,960 JIC from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. Multivariate logistic regression was employed, controlling for gender, race, family income, age, history of mental problems, history of depression, and county of residence. ResultsJIC who reported very low optimism on the final screen had over 8 times the odds of meeting criteria for P30D OM compared to those with high optimism while adjusting for covariates. ConclusionsFurther research is needed to understand the potential for optimism to serve as a protective factor. Optimism can be developed, and therefore can possibly be incorporated to design novel interventions or integrated into empirically validated treatment programs to precipitate uptake.