Dr. Ligang Liu (College of Pharmacy; Institute for Integrated Behavioral Health Research) and Dr. Josh Matacotta (College of Health Sciences; Institute for Integrated Behavioral Health Research) are conducting a study using the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) national dataset to examine how social determinants of health, mental illness severity, and demographic factors are associated with polysubstance use among emerging adults.
The study will compare traditional count-based definitions of polysubstance use with latent class analysis to determine whether person-centered profiles can more effectively identify young adults at elevated risk, particularly those experiencing concentrated social and clinical vulnerability.
Dr. Lui notes, “The findings will inform prevention, screening, and early intervention strategies for emerging adults at elevated risk for complex polysubstance use patterns.”
Dr. Matacotta adds, “Understanding polysubstance use in emerging adulthood is essential because this is a developmental period when substance use patterns, mental health challenges, and social vulnerability can converge. Our goal is to identify high-risk profiles early enough to inform more targeted prevention, screening, and intervention strategies.”
The research team is preparing to submit an R15 NIH research grant application in the coming months.