The pandemic could mean less substance use by Indiana youth

Youth cigarette, alcohol and marijuana use noticed the bottom charges in 30 years, in keeping with a brand new survey from Indiana College.

The 2022 Indiana Youth Survey is run by Prevention Insights on the IU Faculty of Public Well being. Greater than 90,000 college students throughout the state in sixth by way of twelfth grades participated. 

Alcohol use amongst twelfth graders prior to now 30 days has dropped practically 40 proportion factors since 1991, the survey discovered. It additionally decreased over the previous two years: 28.5 % of highschool seniors reported ingesting within the 30 days previous to taking the survey in 2020 in comparison with 19.9 % this yr.

Cigarette use amongst eleventh graders noticed a 37.3 proportion level lower from a prevalence fee of 40.1 % in 1996. And marijuana use amongst tenth graders decreased 16.5 proportion factors from a excessive of 24.9 % in 1996.

Highschool seniors’ use of vaping merchandise additionally decreased, from 23 % in 2020 to 14.8 % in 2022.

Prevention Insights Govt Director Ruth Gassman stated the low charges may very well be due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It may very well be that there was a lower in the usage of these medicine as a result of college students weren’t as out there to get along with their drug-using buddies at college,” Gassman stated.

Gassman additionally stated as a result of some dad and mom proceed to work at home, younger individuals may have much less unsupervised time to make use of medicine.

“So these are some speculations, however we actually haven’t got proof of both of these,” Gassman stated.

And it’s too quickly to know if the lower in substance use will proceed sooner or later. The survey additionally discovered a rise in youth melancholy and different destructive psychological well being elements from 2020 to 2022.

Prevention Perception assistant analysis scientist Mikyoung Jun stated youth substance use can also be lowering nationally.

“We examine our information with the nationwide information produced by the College of Michigan within the Monitoring the Future survey,” Kim stated. “In Indiana, the developments mirror the nationwide pattern for many of the medicine and many of the grade ranges.”

The Monitoring the Future survey discovered a 25 % drop in substance use amongst teenagers from 2020 to 2021.

The Indiana Youth Survey might be administered once more in 2024.

Contact reporter Darian Benson at dbenson@wfyi.org. Comply with on Twitter: @helloimdarian.