ArticleThe journal of spinal cord medicine2025
Substance use during the COVID-19 pandemic among persons with traumatic spinal cord injury: A cross-sectional perspective.
Article in The journal of spinal cord medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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6 authors.
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Abstract
STUDY
designAnalysis of data from two cohorts of Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems Database (SCIMS) participants, pre-pandemic (2017-2019,
objectivesTo examine differences in substance use during the pandemic compared to the years prior to the pandemic.
setting19 SCIMS Centers.
methodsParticipant characteristics, wellness (depression, life satisfaction, resilience), participation, and substance use between the two cohorts were compared. Multiple logistic regression examined the association of the pandemic with substance use after accounting for other factors.
resultsCharacteristics of the two cohorts were similar. Cannabis and sedative uses were not greatly different (28.8% vs 25.1%, and 8.3% vs 6.6%) but did reach statistical significance. Non-prescribed opioid use was double for the pandemic group (6.6% vs 3.3%). Alcohol use patterns were similar across the two cohorts. Measures of wellness were similar, while the pandemic group reported lower participation. The odds of use of cannabis, sedatives, and opioids were 1.3, 1.3, and 2.2 times greater, respectively, for the pandemic cohort after accounting for demographics, wellness, and participation. Greater use of non-prescribed opioids was reported during the pandemic in the South compared to prior to the pandemic (13.8% vs 6.1%).
conclusionsThe pandemic may have been associated with increased use of non-prescribed substances in the traumatic spinal cord injury population. Efforts to pursue longitudinal investigations would be warranted for definitive analysis of trends. The provision of demonstrably effective substance use treatment resources delivered via accessible methods will likely be needed in this population, particularly opioid treatment.
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