Associations Between U.S. High-School Student and Parental Job Loss During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Student Substance Use: Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey (ABES), 2021

Details

• Personal Author:
  Shockey TM ; Silver, Sharon R.
• Description:
  Background: Job loss among both adults and adolescents increased markedly early in the COVID-19 pandemic. While parental job loss has been associated with the adverse effects, including adolescent substance use, no research is available on the effects of adolescent job loss on substance use. Methods: Analyses of Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey (ABES) data from January to June 2021 were conducted to assess associations between parent and student pre-pandemic employment status and pandemic-era job loss and adolescent substance use behaviors. Cigarette, electronic vapor product (EVP), alcohol, and drug use were examined in a nationally representative sample of 7,705 U.S. high-school students. Results: Compared to students who did not lose their job during the pandemic, students reporting job loss had significantly elevated prevalences of current EVP use (29.9% vs. 19.7%), drinking more alcohol during the pandemic (25.3% vs. 16.7%), and current marijuana use (25.8% vs. 15.6%). Additionally, parental job loss was significantly associated with all substance use behaviors. Conclusions: Higher levels of substance use associated with student and parental job loss, as well as parental unemployment, indicate that care may be needed for those students experiencing these losses. School-based intervention and prevention programs, including job loss supports for students, could be useful. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Adolescent Alcoholic Beverages Communicable Diseases Family Mental Health Nervous System Occupational Health Safety Smokers
• Keywords:
  Adolescent Health Adolescents Alcohol Alcohol Use Author Keywords: Employment Status COVID-19 COVID-19 Pandemic Drug Use E-cigarettes Electronic Cigarettes Families Job Loss Mental Health Psychological Effects Smoking Stress Substance Use Tobacco And Electronic Vapor Product (EVP) Use Young Workers

  More +
• ISSN:
  1082-6084
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Chicago Region [OSHA] ; Ohio
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  60
• Issue:
  8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070814
• Citation:
  Subst Use Misuse 2025 Jul; 60(8):1089-1098
• Contact Point Address:
  Taylor M. Shockey, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Field Studies and Engineering, 1090 Tusculum ave, R-17, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA
• Email:
  tshockey@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Substance Use and Misuse
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c614b2827aff64e0540492b3355be8518b8028596d993cbe48ceeacdf76e1a727759f3c494d91cc350f6593157607a96095a8d3bf8f43d9aa47bd7c36e61c404
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208964/cdc_208964_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.40 MB ]