Substance use more common in high school dropouts

Youths who dropped out of school were significantly more likely to use cigarettes, alcohol and drugs, and binge drink, compared with peers still attending school.

“In the United States, about 82% of youths who enter public high school as freshmen eventually graduate from high school in 4 years (calculated from the average freshman graduation rate and the adjusted cohort graduation rate). This indicates that approximately one out of five students did not graduate with a regular high school diploma within 4 years of the first time they started 9th grade,” Peter Tice, PhD, of SAMHSA, and colleagues wrote. “Students who fail to graduate face a wide array of negative consequences including higher rates of unemployment, earning less when employed, being more likely to receive public assistance, being more likely to suffer poor health, and being more likely to have higher rates of criminal behavior and incarceration.”

To compare substance use between 12th grade students and 12th grade aged dropouts, researchers analyzed data from the 2002 to 2014 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health.

From 2002 to 2014, approximately one out of nine youths aged 16 to 18 years (11.3%) dropped out of school.

Substance use was more common among 12th grade aged dropouts than those still in school. Dropouts were more likely to currently use cigarettes (55.9% vs. 20.2%), alcohol (41.1% vs. 33.7%), binge drink (31.8% vs. 22.1%), use illicit drugs (31.4% vs. 18.1%), marijuana (27.5% vs. 15.6%), and use prescription-type drugs nonmedically (9.5% vs. 4.6%), compared with peers still in school.

The association between dropout status and greater substance use was generally true for males and females and whites and blacks. However, Hispanic dropouts and those still in school had comparable past-month use for all substances except cigarettes and binge drinking.

“Substance use is a preventable public health issue. Prevention efforts targeted to youths and to those at risk of dropping out of high school might improve youths’ future educational, employment and financial, and health outcomes. Continuing efforts are needed to educate youths, parents, teachers, physicians, service providers, and policymakers about youth substance use,” the researchers concluded. – by Amanda Oldt

Reference:

Tice P, et al. CBHSQ report: Substance use among 12th grade aged youths, by dropout status. Available at: http://www.samhsa.gov/data. Accessed August 23, 2017.

Disclosures: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.