ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Addictive Disorders
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1659388
This article is part of the Research TopicBridging the Gap: Addressing Substance Use Disorder Treatments among Vulnerable PopulationsView all 3 articles
An examination of substance use trends among adolescents receiving mental health treatment in Ontario
Provisionally accepted
- 1Western University, London, Canada
- 2Western University Faculty of Education, London, Canada
- 3Western University Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, London, Canada
- 4Western University Faculty of Health Sciences, London, Canada
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Introduction: Adolescent substance use continues to pose a significant public health concern due to its well-documented adverse effects on long-term health and well-being. Various risk factors, including mental health concerns (e.g., anxiety, depression), residential instability, prenatal exposure to substances, and various psychosocial concerns (e.g., low self-concept, poor social skills), have been recognized as contributors to adolescent substance use. Given the complex nature of substance use, it is essential to better our understanding of the factors that contribute to it. Methods: The current study aims to explore substance use trends among Ontario adolescents and examine the contexts in which these behaviours emerge. This study uses data from the interRAI Child and Youth Mental Health (ChYMH) assessment instrument, collected from youth receiving mental health services in Ontario between 2012 and 2022. Hierarchical logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with triggering the Substance Use CAP. Results: In our sample, females, and older youth (15-18) were most likely to engage in substance use. Results indicated that residential instability, living alone or in a shelter, and living with a single parent are associated with substance use in adolescents. Furthermore, findings revealed that past or recent trauma, internalizing behaviour, and school disengagement increased likelihood of engaging in substance use. Discussion and Implications: This research provides researchers and clinicians with important insights into risk factors for substance use among adolescents which can be used to inform care planning and the development of prevention and early intervention efforts.
Keywords: Adolescent substance use1, risk factors2, trauma3, Child and Youth Mental Health Assessment4, interRAI5
Received: 04 Jul 2025; Accepted: 18 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Stewart, Drew and Fearon. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Abbey Lynne Drew, adrew6@uwo.ca
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.