Journal of psychiatric research
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Our objective was to elucidate the trends in non-medical use of prescription opioids (NMUPO) among whites, African-Americans, and Hispanic adolescents in the United States. An additional aim was to examine the sociodemographic, behavioral, and psychosocial correlates of NMUPO across each of these aforementioned racial and ethnic groups. ⋯ To our knowledge, this is the first study to identify a declining trend in NMUPO among adolescents. Although the present study findings provide a source for optimism, there is still a relatively high prevalence of NMUPO and it remains to be seen whether our findings portend a long-term decline. Given the harm done by NMUPO, continued awareness and targeted prevention efforts should be implemented.