Trends and Characteristics of Older Adult Hallucinogen Use

Background and Purpose: Many studies have been conducted to examine the sociodemographic characteristics of individuals who use hallucinogenic substances; however, no study up to this point has specifically examined trends and characteristics of use among older adults. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine what trend might exist among older adults with past-year hallucinogen use and the characteristics associated with use among this age group.

Methods: Data for this study comes from 18 iterations of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) from 2002 - 2019. The sample consisted of adults 50 and over, with sample sizes from each year ranging from n=4,806 to n=8,977, adding up to a total sample size of n=119,956. Logistic regression was used to examine which characteristics among sex, race, income, marital status, alcohol, and marijuana use were associated with an increased likelihood of using a hallucinogen in the past year. Next, a trends analysis following CDC-issued guidelines was used to examine use trends from 2002 to 2019.

Results: The older adult sample was around X% female and X% non-Hispanic white, with past-year hallucinogen use ranging from 0.05% of older adults in 2007 to 0.34% in 2019. Past-year marijuana use had the strongest association with an increased likelihood of past-year hallucinogen use (OR= 13.9, p < 0.01, CI= 9.1 – 21.28); however, past-month binge drinking did not have a significant relationship with hallucinogen use for older adults. Adults 50-64 were around twice as likely as adults 65 and over to have used a hallucinogen in the past year (OR= 2.03, p < 0.05). Additionally, divorced/separated and never married older adults were significantly more likely to have used a hallucinogen in the past year than married older adults (divorced/separated: OR=2.42, p < 0.01; never married: OR= 2.61, p < 0.01). There were no significant differences observed for sex, income, or race. Finally, the trends analysis revealed a significant positive linear trend in past-year older adult hallucinogen use at the rate of around 10% increase each year from 2002 to 2019 (OR= 1.10, p < 0.01).

Conclusion and Implications: Although an often-overlooked population for illicit drug use, this study's results indicate a significant increase in the prevalence of past-year hallucinogen use among older adults. An explanation for this could be the continued influx of individuals in the “baby boom” generation (born 1946-1964) who have been shown to continue their drug use into older adulthood at higher rates than past generations. Additionally, the study was the first to report sociodemographic characteristics of older adult hallucinogen users, which helps to inform social work practice.