Young Adults Who Used Crack Cocaine Had Higher Rates of PTSD, Cannabis Use, and Suicide Risk
Lifetime crack cocaine use in young adults was associated with PTSD, antisocial personality disorder, suicide risk, and use of multiple other substances including cannabis.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Among 1,560 young adults aged 18-24 in the general population, 2.5% reported lifetime crack cocaine use. In the final regression model, crack cocaine use was independently associated with higher total psychiatric symptom scores, post-traumatic stress disorder, antisocial personality disorder, and suicide risk.
Substance use associations were broad: crack cocaine use was linked to tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine, and inhalant use and dependence. Cannabis use was among the substances most commonly co-occurring with crack cocaine use.
The study was population-based rather than drawn from treatment settings, which provides a less biased picture of the psychiatric profile associated with crack cocaine use in the community.
Key Numbers
1,560 participants aged 18-24. Lifetime crack cocaine use prevalence: 2.5%. Associated conditions: PTSD, antisocial personality disorder, suicide risk. Associated substances: tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine, inhalants.
How They Did This
This was a cross-sectional population-based study in Pelotas, Brazil, involving 1,560 participants aged 18-24. Lifetime substance use was assessed using the ASSIST inventory. Psychiatric conditions were assessed using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), and common mental disorder symptoms were evaluated with the Self-Reported Questionnaire (SRQ).
Why This Research Matters
Understanding the psychiatric and substance use profile of young people who use crack cocaine helps inform targeted interventions. The association with PTSD and suicide risk suggests that trauma-informed approaches may be particularly important for this population.
The Bigger Picture
Crack cocaine use rarely occurs in isolation. This population-based study confirms that young crack cocaine users carry a heavy burden of psychiatric comorbidity and polysubstance use, suggesting that effective interventions need to address multiple conditions simultaneously rather than targeting one substance in isolation.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
This was a cross-sectional study, so the direction of associations cannot be determined. Crack cocaine use may precede, follow, or co-occur with psychiatric conditions. Self-reported substance use may be underreported. The study was conducted in one Brazilian city and may not generalize to other settings.
Questions This Raises
- ?Does treating PTSD reduce crack cocaine use in young adults?
- ?Are the psychiatric associations specific to crack cocaine or shared with other forms of cocaine?
- ?Would early intervention for trauma reduce later crack cocaine initiation?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 2.5% lifetime prevalence of crack cocaine use in a general population sample of 18-24 year olds
- Evidence Grade:
- This is a cross-sectional population-based study. While the sample is representative, the design cannot establish causal relationships.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2014 with data from Pelotas, Brazil. Crack cocaine use patterns vary substantially across regions.
- Original Title:
- Psychiatric and substance-use comorbidities associated with lifetime crack cocaine use in young adults in the general population.
- Published In:
- Comprehensive psychiatry, 55(6), 1369-76 (2014)
- Authors:
- Narvaez, Joana C M, Jansen, Karen, Pinheiro, Ricardo T, Kapczinski, Flávio, Silva, Ricardo A, Pechansky, Flávio, Magalhães, Pedro V
- Database ID:
- RTHC-00838
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Why is this relevant to cannabis research?
Cannabis use was one of the substances most commonly associated with crack cocaine use in this sample. Understanding polysubstance use patterns helps researchers and clinicians recognize that substance use rarely occurs in isolation.
What is the ASSIST inventory?
The Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) is a WHO-developed questionnaire that screens for substance use and related risks across multiple substance categories.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-00838APA
Narvaez, Joana C M; Jansen, Karen; Pinheiro, Ricardo T; Kapczinski, Flávio; Silva, Ricardo A; Pechansky, Flávio; Magalhães, Pedro V. (2014). Psychiatric and substance-use comorbidities associated with lifetime crack cocaine use in young adults in the general population.. Comprehensive psychiatry, 55(6), 1369-76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2014.04.021
MLA
Narvaez, Joana C M, et al. "Psychiatric and substance-use comorbidities associated with lifetime crack cocaine use in young adults in the general population.." Comprehensive psychiatry, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2014.04.021
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Psychiatric and substance-use comorbidities associated with ..." RTHC-00838. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/narvaez-2014-psychiatric-and-substanceuse-comorbidities
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.