By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
During the pandemic, Wood County students reported less use of drugs, alcohol and nicotine – but more severe mental health problems and more hours spent on gambling and online gaming.
More than 9,000 students in fifth through 12th grades took the surveys conducted every two years for the Wood County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Board and the Wood County Educational Service Center.
The previous youth survey in Wood County was conducted in February 2020.
“Then schools closed in March,” said Dr. Bill Ivoska, who coordinates the student surveys.
The survey was given to students in the fall of 2021, when they were back in their classrooms.
“So it’s what happened during the pandemic,” he said. “This is a revealing survey.”
The researchers believe the declines in drug and alcohol use are the unplanned side effects of the pandemic. Since many Wood County students were at home, they had less access to substances, were less likely to be influenced by their peers, and had increased parental supervision.
The declines likely occurred as fewer teens had the opportunity to initiate or start drug use, while others discontinued or slowed their use. What is unknown is whether these declines will stick long term or be a simple aberration of the pandemic.
“Will this decline be fleeting or will it go back up?” Ivoska said.
(The survey results can be viewed in a 35-minute video presentation and accompanying PowerPoint presentation, full results book, and quick-reference “barometer.” All of these will be available at https://www.wcesc.org/news/ The news will also be released at 8 a.m. with a live interview on WBGU 88.1 FM with Clint Corpe.)
The 2022 survey was collected from a total of 9,359 students in fifth through 12th grades in Wood County in October and November 2021.
A total of 425 surveys were tossed from students whose answers were clearly inaccurate. For example, students who reported using a fake drug, or reported using all drugs at all times in the maximum amounts were excluded from the survey.
Among school aged adolescents in Wood County, drug use declined during the pandemic time period (2020 to 2022). This includes the use of nicotine, alcohol, marijuana and all other illicit drugs.
Among school aged adolescents in grades 7th through 12th, the survey reported declines in the use of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, cough medicine, benzodiazepines and inhalants.
While smoking cigarettes is down, more students reported vaping.
“I’m still very concerned about the amount of students vaping nicotine,” Ivoska said. “You might think we have a handle on nicotine – but it came back in the form of vaping.”
Vaping is also being used with marijuana.
“We lost a decade of success with marijuana,” Ivoska said.
The only increases occurred in the use of caffeinated energy drinks, and small increases in the misuse of narcotic painkillers and the misuse of ADHD type meds.
While drug and alcohol use dropped, students reported a spike in mental health issues. The number of students reporting severe mental health issues, suicide ideation, suicide attempts, and cyber bullying increased.
“It’s concerning,” Ivoska said.
Students also reported more incidents of living with adverse experiences at home.
“The stress at home is being reflected on the kids,” Ivoska said. “We need to have conversations about that.”
Also during the pandemic, students reported spikes in gambling and online gaming.
“We see lots of kids reporting gaming two hours a day or more,” Ivoska said.
For most students, gaming is not creating problems in their lives. However, gambling – which adds the risk of losing money – is causing problems for some local youth.
“Gambling is one thing we need to keep an eye on,” Ivoska said. “You don’t need to go to a casino – it comes right into your home.”
“I think some parents might think it’s OK. But this is another conversation parents should have with their kids,” he said.
Results of this year’s findings are summarized below.
Nicotine. Nicotine use among Wood County youth is derived primarily from vaping nicotine cartridges. Since 2016, in Wood County, vaping nicotine increased among 12th graders from 14% to 21.3%, an increase of 52%. Meanwhile, cigarette use among seniors declined from 6.1% to 1.7% for the same time period. Smokeless tobacco decreased from 5.4 to 2.1%. Peer disapproval of cigarette smoking, a lack of access to cigarettes (from laws to the cost of cigarettes), and a fear of physical harm from smoking continue to influence the decline in cigarette smoking.
Among those teens who vape nicotine, 53% said they were motivated by a need to relax or relieve tension. Other reasons were to get the buzz (46%), to experiment (29%), from boredom (22%), or for a good time with friends (21%). Another 13.5% of teens reported because they are “hooked.”
Alcohol. Monthly use was reported by 8th, 10th and 12th grade as 4.2, 12.1, and 21.3%, which are decreases of 47, 26, and 22% respectively over 2020 rates. Wood County youth were lower than the national average for monthly alcohol use in these three grades.
Marijuana. Monthly use also decreased from 2020 to 2022. Rates were reported by 8th, 10th and 12th grade Wood County teens at 2.5, 6.6, and 12.9%. Wood County youth report lower monthly use than the national average in all grades.
While during the pandemic there was a decline in overall marijuana use, the one exception was the use of marijuana edibles which increased at all grade levels, and from 7.7 to 16.9% among 12th graders.
Inhalants. The prevalence of inhalants increased slightly in grades 7, 11 and 12, but decreased in grades 5, 6, and 8 through 10. Wood County rates are higher than national averages.
MDMA/Ecstasy. Youth reported decreases in most grade levels. Wood County rates for ecstasy use are consistently lower than those reported nationally.
Stimulants. The misuse of Ritalin, Concerta and amphetamine stimulants like Adderall declined in most grades and are at among the lowest levels ever reported in Wood County. Slight increases were reported in grades 7 and 9.
LSD. Wood County rates of LSD use were down in most grades except where minor increases were reported.
Narcotic Painkillers. The annual use of narcotic painkillers, as reported by Wood County youth, has shown considerable decline in nearly all grade levels over 2004. The decline among 11th graders from 22.2% in 2004 to 2.9% in 2022 represents an 87% decrease, which translates to over 600 fewer 7th through 12th graders using narcotic painkillers in 2022 compared to 2004.
Nearly all grades have decreased since 2010.
However, in Wood County, the monthly use of narcotic painkillers increased in most all grade levels except 11, and appears to be trending upwards slightly since 2018.
Cocaine. The declines in the use of cocaine first observed in the 2010 survey show continued decline. Since 2004 it has declined in nearly all grades. Cocaine prevalence is at the lowest levels seen in Wood County, with only 1.3% of seniors reporting annual use.
Cough Medicine. Among all teens, the rates of cough and cold medicine among Wood County 7 through 12th grade is mixed, with increases reported in grades 7, 9, and 11, but decreases in grades 8, 10, and 12. The aggregate prevalence rate of 7% in 2022 is slightly lower than the 2020 rate.
Caffeinated Energy Drinks. Energy drink prevalence has been trending upwards in all grades since 2016. Prevalence among 12th graders is nearly 55%.
Heroin. The rates of heroin use, among Wood County youth, are less than 1% in all grades levels, with insignificant decreases by grade level. A total of 18 teens reported some use in 2022.
Sleep and Anxiety Medications. The use of barbiturates and benzodiazepine declined in grades 7 and 9, but increased in grades 8, 10, 11, and 12. Females report higher misuse than males, with the highest use occurring among 7th grade females at 9.6%.
Mental Health. Wood County adolescents reported increases in mental health issues during the pandemic. Teens reporting “no problems” on the Problem Severity Index declined (54 to 48%), while teens reporting severe and intense mental health issues increased from 9.7% (pre-pandemic) to 13.1% in December 2021.
A strong relationship exists between problem severity and substance use. The more teens indicate that they experience internal or external distress, the more likely they are using alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.
Bullying. All forms of bullying have been trending upwards in grades 5 and 6 since 2014. Cyber and verbal bullying increased the most during the pandemic. All other grades reported insignificant changes over 2020.
Victims of bullying are more likely to report substance use, more likely to report mental health issues, and more likely to think about or attempt suicide.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are stressful or traumatic events, including abuse and neglect and household dysfunction. ACEs are strongly related to the development and prevalence of a wide range of health problems including risky health behaviors, chronic health conditions, low life potential, and early death.
During the pandemic, teens reported the highest rates of adverse childhood experiences since the survey began collecting data in 2018. These include living with a family member who is experiencing mental illness (26.6%), who is experiencing substance abuse (17.7%) or who was incarcerated (19.1%). Teens also reported higher rates of emotional neglect (21.7%) and emotional abuse (22.8%).
Disordered Gaming and Gambling. In 2022, the prevalence rate of disordered gambling increased to 6.7% from 2020 rate of 2.7% among 7 through 12th graders. The prevalence of daily and weekly gambling activities reported by teens increased in 2022, but varies by type of gambling activity and by gender. For example, 17.8% of all youth reportedly bet on sports teams, and 6% bet on daily fantasy sports games, such as FanDuel and DraftKings. However, those rates jump to 20.3% and 9.6% respectively among males.
The most prevalent types of gambling activities among Wood County adolescents are betting money on sports: sports teams (pro, college, or amateur), on fantasy sports or games with an entry fee to play, on daily fantasy sports such as FanDuel or DraftKings, or on betting money on games of personal skill. The second highest level of prevalence occurs in Ohio Lottery games such as purchasing Ohio Lottery tickets or purchasing scratch off tickets.
Approximately 50% of 6th graders reported gaming every day last year, with 40% gaming two hours or more per day. Disordered gaming was relatively low, ranging from 0.3% among 5th graders to 1.9% among 11th graders.
