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Protocol - Substances - Age of First Use

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Description

Measurement to ascertain the respondent’s age of initiation of first use of substances.

Specific Instructions

The Working Group acknowledges that the following question may gather sensitive information relating to the use of substances or illegal conduct. If the information is released it might be damaging to an individual’s employability, lead to social stigmatization, or result in other consequences.

For information on obtaining a Certificate of Confidentiality, which helps researchers protect the privacy of human research participants, please go to the National Human Genome Research Institute’s Institutional Review Board website.

If respondents answered "Yes" to any of the drug categories asked in the Substances - Lifetime Use measure, they are then asked this question. Investigators should refer back to the substance(s) indicated in the Substances - Lifetime Use measure when asking the below question. The drug categories are provided below:

  1. Sedatives or tranquilizers
  2. Painkillers
  3. Marijuana
  4. Cocaine or crack
  5. Stimulants
  6. Club drugs
  7. Hallucinogens
  8. Inhalants or solvents
  9. Heroin
  10. OTHER

Respondents can refer to the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III (NESARC-III) flashcard that provides examples of each.

FLASHCARD 40

TYPES OF MEDICINES/DRUGS

1 Sedatives or tranquilizers, for example…barbs, downers, Ambien, Lunesta, phenobarbital, pentobarbital, Halcion, Tuinal, Nembutal, Seconal, Librium, Valium, Xanax, benzodiazepines, tranks, Ativan

2 Painkillers, for example…methadone, codeine, Demerol, Vicodin, OxyContin, opium, oxy, Percocet, Dilaudid, Percodan, morphine

3 Marijuana, including THC, for example…weed, pot, dope, hashish, Mary Jane, joint, blunt

4 Cocaine or crack, for example…blow, rock, snow

5 Stimulants, for example…Adderall, Concerta, Cylert, Provigil, Ritalin or Dexedrine, speed, amphetamine, methamphetamine, uppers, bennies, pep pills, crystal, crank

6 Club drugs, for example…MDMA, ecstasy, GHB, Rohypnol, ketamine, Special K, XTC, roofies

7 Hallucinogens, for example…LSD, acid, PCP, mescaline, peyote, psilocybin, mushrooms, angel dust, cactus

8 Inhalants or solvents, for example…nitrous oxide, lighter fluid, gasoline, cleaning fluid, glue, poppers, whippets

9 Heroin, for example…smack, black tar, poppy

10 Any OTHER medicines

Availability

Available

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Protocol
  1. How old were you the first time you used…?

AGE: ________ [RANGE: 1-110]

[ ] DK/REF

Personnel and Training Required

Interviewer must be trained and found competent to conduct personal interviews with individuals from the general population. The interviewer should be trained to prompt respondents further if a "don’t know" response is provided.

Equipment Needs

While the source instrument was developed for administration by computer, the PhenX Expert Review Panel acknowledges that these questions can be administered in a noncomputerized format.

Requirements
Requirement CategoryRequired
Major equipment No
Specialized training No
Specialized requirements for biospecimen collection No
Average time of greater than 15 minutes in an unaffected individual No
Mode of Administration

Interviewer-administered questionnaire

Lifestage

Adult

Participants

18 years of age or older

Selection Rationale

The protocol from the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) was chosen because it is a large, nationally representative study. The measures from this survey have been validated and psychometrically tested.

Language

English, Other languages available at source

Standards
StandardNameIDSource
caDSR Form PhenX PX031202 - Substances Age Of First Use 6910293 caDSR Form
Derived Variables

None

Process and Review

The Expert Review Panel #3 (ERP 3) reviewed the measures in Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Substances, and Substance Abuse and Addiction domains.

Guidance from ERP 3 includes:

• Updated protocol

• New Data Dictionary

Back-compatible: Not back-compatible (vastly different than previous protocol which would require a new data dictionary) and not recommended for use (discredited or no longer considered broadly validated)

Previous version in Toolkit archive (link)

Protocol Name from Source

National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 2015

Source

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2015, February). National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 2015. Rockville, MD: Author. CAI Specifications for Programming, English Version.

General References

None

Protocol ID

31202

Variables
Export Variables
Variable Name Variable IDVariable DescriptiondbGaP Mapping
PX031202_First_Use_Age_Substances
PX031202010100 How old were you the first time you used...? Variable Mapping
PX031202_First_Use_Age_Substances_Encoded
PX031202010200 How old were you the first time you used...? N/A
Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Substances
Measure Name

Substances - Age of First Use

Release Date

November 21, 2016

Definition

Question asking the respondent how old he or she was when he or she first use the substance.

Purpose

This measure assesses when the participant’s substance use began.

Keywords

Drugs, substance use, illicit substances, cannabis, marijuana, THC, LSD, acid, angel dust, phencyclidine, PCP, peyote, mescaline, psilocybin, ecstasy, MDMA, sedative, tranquilizer, pain relievers, stimulant, prescription drugs, cocaine, crack cocaine, hallucinogen, inhalant, solvent, heroin, methamphetamine, substance abuse, National Survey on Drug Use and Health, NSDUH, gerontology, aging, geriatrics

Measure Protocols
Protocol ID Protocol Name
31202 Substances - Age of First Use
Publications

Garrison-Desany, H. M., et al. (2024) Post-traumatic stress and future substance use outcomes: leveraging antecedent factors to stratify risk Frontiers in Psychiatry. 2024 March; 15. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1249382