Association Between Co-Occurring Anxiety and Depression With Drug Overdose Encounters in the Emergency Department Among Adolescents and Young Adults in the Era of COVID-19

Jacob Workman; Jasmine M Reese; Sarah Sobalvarro; A J Caberto; Janelle Garcia; Javier A Cepeda

doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.01.012

Association Between Co-Occurring Anxiety and Depression With Drug Overdose Encounters in the Emergency Department Among Adolescents and Young Adults in the Era of COVID-19

J Adolesc Health. 2023 Jun;72(6):989-992. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.01.012. Epub 2023 Jan 19.

Authors

Jacob Workman¹, Jasmine M Reese², Sarah Sobalvarro², A J Caberto², Janelle Garcia², Javier A Cepeda³

Affiliations

¹ Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland. Electronic address: jsw0002@hsc.wvu.edu.
² Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, St. Petersburg, Florida.
³ Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.

Abstract

Purpose: COVID-19 risk mitigation efforts could have negatively impacted anxiety, depression, and substance use among adolescents and young adults.

Methods: We analyzed 45,223 emergency department visits from April 2018 to March 2022 of patients aged 12-21 in Pinellas County, Florida.

Results: Frequency of overdose, anxiety, and depression significantly increased from the pre-COVID-19 to the COVID-19 period. Anxiety (adjusted odds ratio: 1.49, 95% confidence interval: 1.11, 1.98) and depression (adjusted odds ratio: 2.89, 95% confidence interval: 2.15, 3.88) were associated with significantly higher odds of overdose during COVID-19.

Discussion: Mental health and overdose among adolescents and young adults worsened during COVID-19, necessitating greater screening and treatment in primary care.

Keywords: Adolescents and young adults; COVID-19; Mental health; Overdose; Substance use.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Anxiety
COVID-19*
Depression / epidemiology
Drug Overdose* / epidemiology
Emergency Service, Hospital
Humans
Young Adult