ERIC Number: EJ1474626
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jul
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1362-3613
EISSN: EISSN-1461-7005
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Comparing the Prevalence of Substance Use Disorders between Persons with and without Autism Spectrum Disorders
Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, v29 n7 p1674-1687 2025
Recent research has suggested that people with autism spectrum disorder may be disproportionately at risk of substance use disorders. This study analyzed national-level Medicaid Claims data to compare substance use disorder prevalence among Medicaid enrollees with autism spectrum disorder (N = 388,426) and a random sample of enrollees without autism spectrum disorder (n = 745,699) and to examine whether this association differs across sex and age groups and changes after adjusting for co-occurring mental health conditions. We also examined how the association between autism spectrum disorder and substance use disorder is moderated by co-occurring non-autism spectrum disorder mental health conditions and by community-level social determinants of health by merging Medicaid Claims data with zip code-level US Census data on socioeconomic deprivation. By 2016, 7% of Medicaid beneficiaries with autism spectrum disorder and no intellectual disability had at least one substance use disorder diagnosis, up from 1.75% USD prevalence among enrollees with autism spectrum disorder (no intellectual disability) in 2012 Medicaid data. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder aged 30-64 years were at an elevated risk of cannabis and hallucinogen disorders; this risk is likely compounded by co-occurring mental health conditions, which affect a half of all individuals with autism spectrum disorder and only 23% of individuals without autism spectrum disorder. Research and policy implications are discussed in turn.
Descriptors: Autism Spectrum Disorders, Disproportionate Representation, Substance Abuse, Incidence, Gender Differences, Age Differences, Mental Disorders, Social Influences, Comorbidity, Racial Differences, Ethnicity
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: UJ2MC31073; UT6MC45902
Author Affiliations: 1National Institutes of Health, USA; 2University of Pennsylvania, USA; 3Drexel University, USA