Substance use and mental health in emerging adult vs. older adult men and women with opioid use disorder.

This article examines age differences across genders in clinical characteristics in emerging adult (25 years or less) vs. older adult patients (26 years or older) with opioid use disorder (OUD). Participants included 570 people (30% female) entering a comparative effectiveness medication trial of buprenorphine vs. extended-release naltrexone (CTN-0051, X:BOT).

Analysis revealed similar differences across genders in clinical characteristics in emerging adult vs. older participants. However, women who were 26 years old or older reported more mental health problems compared with women 25 years old or younger, while men 25 or younger reported more mental health problems compared with men 26 or older.

Conclusions: Different strategies for emerging adult and older patients seeking OUD treatment may be necessary to address psychiatric comorbidities that differ across genders in this population. Comprehensive psychiatric assessment should be systematically included in OUD treatment for all genders. Treatment should focus on the emerging adult development phase when appropriate, with psychiatric treatment tailored for women and men, separately, across the lifespan.

Related protocols: CTN-0051