title: Factors associated with knowledge of a Good Samaritan Law among young adults who use prescription opioids non-medically.
abstract: To date, no studies have examined the extent of knowledge and perceptions of Good Samaritan Laws (GSLs) among young adults who engage in non-medical prescription opioid (NMPO) use. We sought to determine awareness of and factors associated with knowledge of Rhode Island's Good Samaritan Law (RIGSL) among young adult NMPO users.
  
  
  
  We compared the sociodemographic and overdose-related characteristics of participants who were aware and unaware of the RIGSL and determined independent correlates of knowledge of the RIGSL via modified stepwise logistic regression. Among 198 eligible participants, 15.7 % were black, 62.1 % white, and 20.7 % mixed or other race. The mean age was 24.5 (SD = 3.2) and 129 (65.2 %) were male. Fewer than half (45.5 %) were aware of the RIGSL; nonetheless, the majority (95.5 %) reported a willingness to call 911 in the event of an overdose. Knowledge of the RIGSL was associated with older age, white race, a history of incarceration, a history of injection drug use, lifetime heroin use, ever witnessing or experiencing an overdose, having heard of naloxone, knowledge of where to obtain naloxone, and experience administering naloxone (all p < 0.05). In the final explanatory regression model, lifetime injection drug use, having heard of naloxone, and knowledge of where to obtain naloxone were independently associated with awareness of the RIGSL.
  
  
  
  Fewer than half of NMPO users surveyed knew of the RIGSL. Targeted harm reduction education is needed to address a vulnerable population of NMPO users who have not initiated injection drug use and are unaware of naloxone. Additional research is needed to determine how the effectiveness of GSLs could be improved to prevent overdose deaths among young adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, 121 South Main Street, Box G-S-121-2, Providence, RI, 02912, USA.
authors.forename: Tristan I
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.affiliation: Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, 333 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.|Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.|Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Scott E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Hadland
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, 121 South Main Street, Box G-S-121-2, Providence, RI, 02912, USA.|Department of Quantitative Health Sciences and Center for Health Policy and Research, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Ave North, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.
authors.forename: Melissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, 121 South Main Street, Box G-S-121-2, Providence, RI, 02912, USA.|Department of Emergency Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, 771 Albany Street, Room 1208, Boston, MA, 02118, USA.|Rhode Island Hospital, The Warren Alpert School of Medicine of Brown University, 55 Claverick Street, Providence, RI, 02903, USA.
authors.forename: Traci C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Green
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, 121 South Main Street, Box G-S-121-2, Providence, RI, 02912, USA. brandon_marshall@brown.edu.
authors.forename: Brandon D L
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Marshall
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000506:poisoning*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006801:Humans; D007880:Legislation, Drug; D008297:Male; D009270:Naloxone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D063487:Prescription Drug Misuse / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000067490:Prescription Drug Overuse / Q000517:prevention & control; D012237:Rhode Island; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D009270:Naloxone
keywords: Good Samaritan Law; Non-medical prescription opioid; Opioid; Overdose; Young adult