title: Psychological Distress and Drug Use Patterns of Young Adult Ecstasy Users: A Complementary Analysis of Australian Datasets.
abstract: We examine psychological distress (PD) in young adult Ecstasy users in relation to age of initiation and frequency of use of Ecstasy, cannabis, alcohol, and tobacco. Using two Australian community samples, we assess whether different sampling methods produce comparable estimates of these associations. The Natural History Study of Drug Use (NHSDU; N = 339) in 2009 used population sampling and the 2009 Ecstasy and Related Drug Reporting System (EDRS; N = 359) used purposive sampling. Participants, aged 19-23 years, were recurrent Ecstasy users. PD was assessed using Kessler 10 in the EDRS and Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale in the NHSDU. In both samples, PD was associated with daily tobacco use and early drug initiation, but not frequent Ecstasy use. One-third smoke tobacco daily. Study limitations and implications are noted.
authors.affiliation: a 1Queensland Alcohol and Drug Research and Education Centre, School of Population Health, The University of Queensland , Herston, Queensland, Australia.|b 2Drug Harm Reduction Branch, Health Protection Directorate, Queensland Health, Division of the Chief Health Officer , Herston, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Smirnov
authors.affiliation: a 1Queensland Alcohol and Drug Research and Education Centre, School of Population Health, The University of Queensland , Herston, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hayatbakhsh
authors.affiliation: c 3School of Population Health, The University of Queensland , Herston, Queensland, Australia.|d 4Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research, The University of Queensland , Herston, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Alati
authors.affiliation: e 5Crime and Misconduct Commission, North Tower Green Square, Fortitude Valley , Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Margot
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Legosz
authors.affiliation: f 6National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales , Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.affiliation: b 2Drug Harm Reduction Branch, Health Protection Directorate, Queensland Health, Division of the Chief Health Officer , Herston, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kemp
authors.affiliation: e 5Crime and Misconduct Commission, North Tower Green Square, Fortitude Valley , Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Helene
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wells
authors.affiliation: a 1Queensland Alcohol and Drug Research and Education Centre, School of Population Health, The University of Queensland , Herston, Queensland, Australia.|g 7School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia , Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Jake M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Najman
keywords: Ecstasy (drug); adolescence; age of initiation; psychological factors; tobacco; young adult