The Impact of Rurality on Substance Use and Adverse Mental Health Among Vermont High School Students
Conference Year
2024
Abstract
Objectives: To explore the relationship between adverse mental health and substance use by rurality among Vermont high school students. Methods: The 2021 Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey was used (N=17,412). Predictors of adverse mental health were self-reported suicide attempt and self-harm in the last year and self-reported past 30-day mental health and anxiety. Substance use was coded as lifetime illicit use and current use of alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between adverse mental health and substance use by rurality. Results: Past-year self-harm and suicidality were the strongest predictors of lifetime illicit use and current substance use among rural and non-rural populations. Anxiety was a significant predictor of lifetime illicit use among rural students (OR=1.623; 95% CI = 1.250, 2.107), but not non-rural students. Conclusions: Anxiety is related to illicit use in rural youth in Vermont. Future research is needed to understand the causal mechanisms that drive the relationship between adverse mental health and substance use, and how these mechanisms may differ by rurality.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Elzerie de Jager
Status
Graduate
Student College
Larner College of Medicine
Program/Major
Accelerated RN-BS-MS
Primary Research Category
Social Science
The Impact of Rurality on Substance Use and Adverse Mental Health Among Vermont High School Students
Objectives: To explore the relationship between adverse mental health and substance use by rurality among Vermont high school students. Methods: The 2021 Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey was used (N=17,412). Predictors of adverse mental health were self-reported suicide attempt and self-harm in the last year and self-reported past 30-day mental health and anxiety. Substance use was coded as lifetime illicit use and current use of alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between adverse mental health and substance use by rurality. Results: Past-year self-harm and suicidality were the strongest predictors of lifetime illicit use and current substance use among rural and non-rural populations. Anxiety was a significant predictor of lifetime illicit use among rural students (OR=1.623; 95% CI = 1.250, 2.107), but not non-rural students. Conclusions: Anxiety is related to illicit use in rural youth in Vermont. Future research is needed to understand the causal mechanisms that drive the relationship between adverse mental health and substance use, and how these mechanisms may differ by rurality.