title: Correlates of nonmedical use of stimulants and methamphetamine use in a national sample.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite chemical similarities, ADHD stimulants and methamphetamine have distinct use patterns in the community. This study compared the characteristics of nonmedical ADHD stimulants users and methamphetamine users in a household sample.
  
  
  METHODS
  In data from the 2009-2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, adult and adolescent stimulant users were categorized into three mutually exclusive subgroups: nonmedical ADHD stimulant users only (STM users), methamphetamine users (METH users), and both nonmedical ADHD stimulant and methamphetamine users (STM/METH users). Multivariate logistic regression analyses identified the substance comorbidity, mental health, and deviant behavior characteristics associated with these three groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to adolescent STM users, STM/METH users were more likely to be female, younger and uninsured while METH users were more likely to be younger, in a minority group and from a higher-income family. Compared to adult STM users, METH and STM/METH users were more likely to be male, older, uninsured, no longer married, and to be from rural areas. Adolescent METH users were more likely than STM users to report illegal drug use while adult METH users were less likely to report prescription drug use than their STM user counterparts. Overall, adult and adolescent STM/METH users were more likely to report substance use, mental health problems and deviant behaviors compared to STM users.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The characteristics of STM users differ from METH and STM/METH users, and their associations with substance use and psychiatric comorbidities differ by age. Findings have implications for understanding the risks for stimulant use in different age subgroups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, 7th floor, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States; Center for Drug Safety and Effectiveness, Johns Hopkins University, 615 N. Wolfe Street W6035, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States. Electronic address: liachen@jhsph.edu.
authors.forename: Lian-Yu
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 5510 Nathan Shock Drive, Baltimore, MD 21224, United States.
authors.forename: Eric C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Strain
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, 7th floor, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States.
authors.forename: Pierre Kébreau
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Alexandre
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street W6035, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States; Center for Drug Safety and Effectiveness, Johns Hopkins University, 615 N. Wolfe Street W6035, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States.
authors.forename: G Caleb
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, 7th floor, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States; Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 5510 Nathan Shock Drive, Baltimore, MD 21224, United States; Center for Drug Safety and Effectiveness, Johns Hopkins University, 615 N. Wolfe Street W6035, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States.
authors.forename: Ramin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mojtabai
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, 7th floor, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States; Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, Rm. 509, New York, NY 10032, United States.
authors.forename: Silvia S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Martins
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D019969:Amphetamine-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D008694:Methamphetamine; D008875:Middle Aged; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D008694:Methamphetamine
keywords: Deviant behaviors; Mental health; Methamphetamine use; Prescription stimulants; Substance abuse