High-risk and long-term opioid prescribing to military spouses in the Millennium Cohort Family Study

McDonald, D. C., Radakrishnan, S., Sparks, A. C., Corry, N. H., Carballo, C. E., Carlson, K., & Stander, V. A. (2020). High-risk and long-term opioid prescribing to military spouses in the Millennium Cohort Family Study. Military Medicine, 185(9-10), e1759-e1769. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usaa146

This study examined the prevalence of opioid prescriptions among military spouses (N = 8,217) with a focus on prescriptions that were long-term (i.e., greater than a 60-day supply of medication, or extended-release formulation) or high-risk (i.e., high dosage, concurrent with other medications, or filled at multiple pharmacies). The study considered differences in opioid prescription in the context of spousal characteristics, including demographics (e.g., age, education, race), physical health (e.g., bodily pain, depression), stress (e.g., adverse childhood experiences, military-related), social support (i.e., friends, family, military), and non-opioid substance use (e.g., smoking, risky drinking). Service members’ military characteristics (e.g., duty status, pay grade) were also considered. Almost half of military spouses (47.6%) received an opioid prescription during the two-year study period, but few were long-term and/or high-risk prescriptions. Several factors were associated with a greater likelihood of obtaining long-term and high-risk opioid prescriptions.

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