The prevalence of substance use disorders among community-based adults with legal problems in the U.S
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Kelly E. Mooreab* , Lindsay Oberleitnerb, Brian P. Pittmanb, Walter Robertsb, Terril L. Verplaetseb, Robyn L. Hackerc, MacKenzie R. Peltierb & Sherry A. McKeeba Department of Psychology, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN, USA; b Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; c Center for Dependency, Addiction, and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado Boulder, Aurora, CO, USASupplemental data for this article can be accessed here.CONTACT Kelly E. Moore mooreke2@etsu.edu Department of Psychology, East Tennessee State University, 420 Rogers-Stout Hall, P.O. Box 70649, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA.AbstractBackground: Current national prevalence estimates of DSM-5 diagnosed substance use disorders (SUDs) among adults with justice system involvement are lacking.Methods: This study drew from NESARC-III data (n = 36,309; 2012–2013), a nationally representative U.S. sample, to examine current and lifetime alcohol use disorder (AUD) and drug use disorder (DUD) diagnoses among adults reporting current or prior drug-related, alcohol-related, and general legal problems.Results: Adults reporting current alcohol-related legal problems were 22 times more likely to have a current AUD diagnosis (AOR = 22.0, 95% CI = 12.1; 40.1) and 15 times more likely to have had a lifetime AUD diagnosis (AOR = 15.2, 95% CI = 7.5; 30.9) than adults without alcohol-related legal problems. Adults with lifetime drug-related legal problems were 3–5 times more likely to have a current (AOR = 2.6, 95% CI = 2.1; 3.2) and lifetime (AOR = 5.1, 95% CI = 4.3; 6.1) DUD diagnosis, with stimulant use disorder being the most prevalent (AOR = 5.4, 95% CI = 4.5; 6.5). Adults with general legal problems were around 3 times more likely to have a current AUD (AOR = 3.2, 95% CI = 2.6; 4.0) or DUD (AOR = 3.5, 95% CI = 2.8; 4.4). Women with any type of legal problem were more likely to have SUD diagnoses than men.Conclusions: SUD diagnoses are prevalent among adults reporting legal problems, particularly those involving alcohol. There is a continued need for community-based addiction prevention and intervention efforts, especially for women with justice system involvement.
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Adults reporting current alcohol-related legal problems were 22 times more likely to have a current AUD diagnosis.
“While legal problems are not part of the DSM-5 criteria [40], epidemiologic data showed that adults reporting current alcohol-related legal problems were 22 times more likely to have a current AUD diagnosis, and adults with lifetime drug-related legal problems were 3–5 times more likely to have a current and lifetime DUD diagnosis [41].”
Adults with lifetime drug-related legal problems were 3-5 times more likely to have a current and lifetime DUD diagnosis.
“While legal problems are not part of the DSM-5 criteria [40], epidemiologic data showed that adults reporting current alcohol-related legal problems were 22 times more likely to have a current AUD diagnosis, and adults with lifetime drug-related legal problems were 3–5 times more likely to have a current and lifetime DUD diagnosis [41].”
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Choi, N. G., & Marti, C. N. (2025) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph22040640 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
- Authors
- Moore, K. E., Oberleitner, L., Pittman, B. P., Roberts, W., Verplaetse, T. L., Hacker, R. L., Peltier, M. R., & McKee, S. A.
- Affiliations
- East Tennessee State University (US)
- Yale University (US)
- University of Colorado Boulder (US)
- Corresponding author
- Moore, Kelly E.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Addiction Research & Theory
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2019-05-31
- Volume
- 28
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 165-172
- ISSN
- 1058-6989 (ISSN-L)
- 1606-6359
- 1476-7392
- PMC
- PMC7500665
- OpenAlex
- W2946903654
- Cited by
- 27
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 1
- FWCI
- 1.71
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- europepmc.org
- Locations
- Addiction Research & Theory (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Digital Commons - East Tennessee State University (East Tennessee State University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (26-12)
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
- Keywords
- substance use disorders, criminal justice involvement, alcoholism, drug use disorders, legal issues, stimulant use disorder, prevalence, lifetime prevalence, community-dwelling adults, NESARC-III, substance use disorder screening, addiction treatment
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