Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Youth Substance Use and Substance-Related Risk Factors and Outcomes: Implications for Prevention, Treatment, and Policy

Abstract

Youth substance use and substance use disorders (SUD) are major public health issues associated with significant societal cost. The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic and pandemic-related lockdowns, school closures, and social distancing dramatically impacted the daily lives of young people worldwide, resulting in major disruptions to normal developmental trajectories and complex (and at times opposing effects) on different SUD risk and protective factors, which contributed to inconsistent outcomes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, substance use prevalence rates decreased in the general population of US youth, but increased for certain vulnerable subgroups. Additionally, overdose deaths related to fentanyl rose significantly among US youth.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; Risk factors; Substance use treatment; Vulnerable subgroups; Youth substance use; Youth substance use disorders.