Female-male differences in prescription pain reliever dependence levels: Evidence on newly incident adolescent and young adult users in the United States, 2002-2014

摘要

Background. A comprehensive epidemiology of dependence on prescription opioid pain relievers requires evidence about age-specific female-male differences, possibly manifest during adolescent and early adult years. In this study, we identified newly incident extra-medical users of prescription pain relievers (EMPPR), all observed with onsets before the 22nd birthday. We then quantified female-male differences in clinical features or manifestations of opioid dependence (OD), devised a measurement-equivalent OD dimension, and estimated age-specific female-male differences in OD levels.