title: Substance use and teen pregnancy in the United States: evidence from the NSDUH 2002-2012.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few, if any, studies have systematically examined the relationship between substance use and teen pregnancy using population-based samples. We aim to provide a comprehensive examination of substance use among pregnant adolescents in the United States.
  
  
  METHODS
  Employing data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health between 2002 and 2012 (n=97,850), we examine the prevalence of the past 12-month and the past 30-day substance use and substance use disorders among pregnant and non-pregnant adolescents (ages 12-17). We also examine psychosocial and pregnancy-related correlates of current substance use among the subsample of pregnant adolescents (n=810).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pregnant teens were significantly more likely to have experimented with a variety of substances and meet criteria for alcohol (AOR=1.65, 95% CI=1.26-2.17), cannabis (AOR=2.29, 95% CI=1.72-3.04), and other illicit drug use disorders (AOR=2.84, 95% CI=1.92-4.19). Pregnant early adolescents (ages 12-14; AOR=4.34, 95% CI=2.28-8.26) were significantly more likely and pregnant late adolescents (ages 15-17; AOR=0.71, 95% CI=0.56-0.90) significantly less likely than their non-pregnant counterparts to be current substance users.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Study findings point not only to a relationship between pregnancy and prior substance use, but also suggest that substance use continues for many teens during pregnancy. We found that substance use is particularly problematic among early adolescents and that the prevalence of substance use attenuates dramatically as youth progress from the first to the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States. Electronic address: salaswright@utexas.edu.
authors.forename: Christopher P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Salas-Wright
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, United States.
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Vaughn
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States.
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ugalde
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States.
authors.forename: Jelena
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Todic
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000367:Age Factors; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016487:Parenting; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D012067:Religion; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012574:Schools; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D020954:Single-Parent Family / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D047568:Unsafe Sex / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: Early adolescence; Sexual risk behavior; Substance use; Teen pregnancy