Associations of adolescent substance use and depressive symptoms with adult major depressive disorder in the United States: NSDUH 2016-2019

Abstract

Background: Few studies have focused on the associations of adolescent substance use and depressive symptoms with adult major depressive disorder (MDD).

Methods: Data from 168,859 adults, among which, 15,959 had experienced MDD in the past year, as indicated by a major depressive episode (MDE) marked by MDD symptoms, were from the 2016-2019 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. Weighted multivariable logistic regression (MLR) analyses were used to determine the associations.

Results: The overall MDD prevalence was 7.2 %, whereas the prevalence for adults without early onset depressive symptoms prior to age 18 was 4.6 %. Variable cluster analysis revealed that adolescent use of alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, cocaine, hallucinogen use, and inhalants prior to age 18 were in one cluster. MLR analyses showed that the presence of depressive symptoms prior to age 18 was the major risk factor for MDD, while adolescent use of alcohol, marijuana, and inhalants prior to age 18 were associated with increased odds of MDD (p < 0.05) both in the whole data and the subset of adults without depressive symptoms prior to age 18. Adolescent use of cocaine prior to age 18 were associated with MDD only in the whole data, whereas adolescent smokeless tobacco use was associated with MDD only in those without depressive symptoms prior to age 18.

Conclusions: These findings highlight the comorbid early substance use and depressive symptoms during adolescence with adult MDD. Intervention strategies should simultaneously address early-onset substance use and depressive symptoms prior to age 18.

Keywords: Alcohol; Early onset depressive symptoms; Early onset substance use; Illicit drug; Major depressive episode; Variable cluster analysis.