Premium
The 12‐month prevalence of substance use and ICD‐10 substance use disorders in Australian adults: findings from the National Survey of Mental Health and Well‐Being
Author(s) -
Hall Wayne,
Teesson Maree,
Lynskey Michael,
Degenhardt Louisa
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
addiction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.424
H-Index - 193
eISSN - 1360-0443
pISSN - 0965-2140
DOI - 10.1046/j.1360-0443.1999.9410154110.x
Subject(s) - cidi , medicine , alcohol use disorder , psychiatry , substance abuse , mental health , population , substance use , substance dependence , prevalence , cross sectional study , prevalence of mental disorders , alcohol , environmental health , biochemistry , chemistry , pathology
Aims. To present the prevalence of substance use and ICD‐10 substance use disorders in the adult Australian population using data from the National Survey of Mental Health and Well‐Being (NSMHWB). Design. A cross‐sectional survey assessing substance use and ICD substance use disorders (harmful use and dependence). Setting and participants. A household survey of a nationally representative sample of 10 641 Australian adults (aged 18 years or older). Measurements. Trained survey interviewers administered a structured interview based on the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Findings. In the past 12 months 6.5% of the sample had an ICD‐10 alcohol use disorder (95% CI: 6.2, 6.9), and 2.2% had another drug use disorder (95% CI: 2.0, 2.4). More males than females had substance use disorders: 9.5% of males (95% CI: 8.5, 10.5) and 3.6% of females (95% CI: 3.2, 4.0) met criteria for an alcohol use disorder, and 3.2% of males (95% CI: 2.8, 3.6) and 1.3% of females (95% CI: 0.9, 1.7) met criteria for another drug use disorder within the past 12 months. The prevalence of substance use disorders decreased with increasing age: 10.5% of respondents aged 18‐34 years met criteria for an alcohol use disorder and 4.8% met criteria for a drug use disorder. The rates of these disorders among those aged 55 years or older were 1.8% and 0.1%, respectively. Substance use disorders were more prevalent among the unemployed, those who had never married and those who were Australian‐born. Conclusions. The prevalence of substance use disorders in the Australian population is comparable to that in other English‐speaking countries.