Predictors of changes in marijuana consumption in Germany during the covid-19 pandemic.

During the Covid-19 pandemic Germany experienced its first increase in the proportion of heavy cannabis users since 1995. With the expected nationwide decriminalization of cannabis before 2025, we investigate the potential causes for that increase. Data were from the 2021 European Web Survey on Drugs (EWSD) including 762 12-month marijuana users from Germany (72.

Alcoholic Beverage Preference in Germany: An Age-Period-Cohort Analysis of Trends 1995-2018.

Aims: Germany is experiencing a decline in alcohol consumption but not for every alcoholic beverage type. Given the differential health impacts of alcoholic beverage type, it is important to understand the drivers of these trends. We investigated: (a) temporal trends in beverage preference and (b) the effects of age, period and cohort on these trends.

Changes in the Use of Tobacco, Alternative Tobacco Products, and Tobacco Alternatives in Germany.

Background: Due to the increasing use of alternative tobacco products (waterpipes, heat-not-burn) and tobacco alternatives (e-cigarettes), we studied recent changes in the prevalence of conventional tobacco use and alternative products.

Methods: Data come from ten waves of the Epidemiological Survey of Substance Abuse (ESA) from 1995 to 2021, with representative samples collected via paperpencil questionnaires, telephone interviews, or online. We compared the prevalence of conventional tobacco use and alternative products by gender and age (18-24, 25-39, 40-59 years).

Subtypes in Patients Taking Prescribed Opioid Analgesics and Their Characteristics: A Latent Class Analysis.

Background: Owing to their pharmacological properties the use of opioid analgesics carries a risk of abuse and dependence, which are associated with a wide range of personal, social, and medical problems. Data-based approaches for identifying distinct patient subtypes at risk for prescription opioid use disorder in Germany are lacking.

Objective: This study aimed to identify distinct subgroups of patients using prescribed opioid analgesics at risk for prescription opioid use disorder.

The Use of Psychoactive Substances in Germany.

Background: Monitoring the use of psychoactive substances and substance-related problems in the population allows for the assessment of prevalence and associated health and social consequences.

Methods: The data are derived from the Epidemiological Survey of Substance Abuse (ESA) 2021 (n = 9046, 18-64 years). We estimated prevalence rates of the use of tobacco, alcohol, illegal drugs, and psychoactive medications, as well as the prevalence rates of their problematic use (indicating dependence) using screening instruments, and extrapolated the results to the resident population (N = 51 139 451).

Abuse of Non-opioid Analgesics in Germany: Prevalence and Associations Among Self-Medicated Users.

Background: Abuse of non-opioid analgesics (NOA) is associated with serious health consequences. However, due to inconsistent definitions of NOA abuse, prevalence estimates for the German population are unclear.

Objectives: This study aimed to estimate the 12-month prevalence of NOA abuse among self-medicated users of these drugs in the general German population and to identify risk factors.

Age, period, and cohort effects on trends in outpatient addiction care utilization in the general Berlin population from 2008 to 2016.

Background: The aim of this study was to decompose independent effects of age, period, and cohort on trends in outpatient addiction care utilization resulting from alcohol (AUD) and illicit substances use disorders (ISUD). Decomposing trends in addiction care utilization into their independent effects by age, period, and cohort may lead to a better understanding of utilization patterns.

Methods: Individuals seeking help in Berlin outpatient addiction care facilities between 2008 and 2016 with an age range of 18-81 years for AUD (n = 46,706) and 18-70 years for ISUD (n = 51,113) were standardized to the general Berlin population using data from the German Federal Statistical Office.

Estimating the number of children in households with substance use disorders in Germany.

Background: Parental substance misuse is reported to endanger the health and psychological development of children and adolescents. The aim of the present study was to address conceptual and methodological problems in estimating the number of children affected by parental substance misuse (CaPSM) and offer a novel approach based on survey data.

Methods: Data came from the 2018 German Epidemiological Survey of Substance Abuse (ESA) among 18- to 64-year-olds (n = 9267) and from population statistics.

Has beverage composition of alcohol consumption in Sweden changed over time? An age-period-cohort analysis.

Introduction: In recent years, beverage composition of total alcohol consumption has changed substantially in Sweden. As beverage choice is strongly associated with drinking practices, our paper aims to analyse trends in beverage composition of alcohol consumption by age, period and cohort.

Methods: Age-period-cohort (APC) analysis was conducted using monthly data from the Swedish Alcohol Monitoring Survey (2003-2018).

Substance use disorder and the baby boom generation: Does Berlin outpatient addiction care face a sustained change?

Introduction: The ageing of baby boomers is expected to confront addiction care with new challenges. This cohort had greater exposure to psychoactive substances in youth than earlier cohorts. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether Berlin addiction care is confronted with a sustained change in its clientele initiated by the baby boomers.

Trends In Substance Use And Related Disorders: Analysis of the Epidemiological Survey of Substance Abuse 1995 to 2018.

Background: Changes in the use of psychoactive substances and medications and in the occurrence of substance-related disorders enable assessment of the magni- tude of the anticipated negative consequences for the population.

Methods: Trends were analyzed in the consumption of tobacco, alcohol, cannabis and other illegal drugs, analgesics, and hypnotics/sedatives, as well as trends in substance-related disorders, as coded according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). The data were derived from nine waves of the German Epidemiological Survey of Substance Abuse (Epidemiologischer Sucht- survey, ESA) from 1995 to 2018.

The Use of Alcohol, Tobacco, Illegal Drugs and Medicines: An Estimate of Consumption and Substance-Related Disorders in Germany.

Background: Prevalence estimates of the use of tobacco, alcohol, illegal drugs, and psychoactive medications and of substance-related disorders enable an assessment of the effects of substance use on health and society.

Methods: The data used for this study were derived from the 2018 Epidemiological Survey of Substance Abuse (Epidemiologischer Suchtsurvey, ESA). The sample of the German adult population comprised 9267 persons aged 18 to 64 (response rate, 42%).

Estimation of the Number of People With Opioid Addiction in Germany.

Background: Opioid addiction is one of the most common substance-related disorders worldwide, and morbidity and mortality due to opioid addiction place a heavy burden on society. Knowing the size of the population that is addicted to opioids is a prerequisite for the development and implementation of appropriate health-policy measures.

Methods: Our estimate for Germany for 2016 is based on an enumeration of opioid-addicted persons who were entered in a registry of persons receiving substitution therapy, an enumeration of persons receiving outpatient and inpatient care for addiction without substitution therapy, an extrapolation to all addiction care facilities, and an estimation of the number of opioid-addicted persons who were not accounted for either in the substitution registry or in addiction care.

Quantifying harms to others due to alcohol consumption in Germany: a register-based study.

Background: The consumption of alcohol increases the risk of drinkers harming others. The extent of alcohol's morbidity and mortality harms to others in Germany in 2014 was estimated for (1) fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) or fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) among newborns, (2) road traffic fatalities, and (3) interpersonal violence-related deaths.

Methods: The incidences of FAS and FASD were estimated by means of a meta-analytical approach, combining data on alcohol use during pregnancy and the risk relationship between alcohol consumption during pregnancy and FAS/FASD.

'Are The Times A-Changin'? Trends in adolescent substance use in Europe.

Aims: To estimate temporal trends in adolescents' current cigarette, alcohol and cannabis use in Europe by gender and region, test for regional differences and evaluate regional convergence.

Design And Setting: Five waves of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) from 28 countries between 1999 and 2015. Countries were grouped into five regions [northern (NE), southern (SE), western (WE), eastern Europe (EE) and the Balkans (BK)].

Testlet-Based Multidimensional Adaptive Testing.

Multidimensional adaptive testing (MAT) is a highly efficient method for the simultaneous measurement of several latent traits. Currently, no psychometrically sound approach is available for the use of MAT in testlet-based tests. Testlets are sets of items sharing a common stimulus such as a graph or a text.