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The Variety of Ecstasy/MDMA Users: Results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions

2009; Wiley; Volume: 18; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3109/10550490903206049

1521-0391

Li‐Tzy Wu, Andy C. Parrott, Christopher L. Ringwalt, Chongming Yang, Dan G. Blazer,

Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes

This study investigates the potential heterogeneity of ecstasy or MDMA (3,4‐methylenedioxy‐N‐methylamphetamine) users. Data came from the 2001–2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). Latent class analysis (LCA) and multinomial logistic regression procedures were used to identify subtypes of ecstasy users. Approximately 1.6% (n = 562) of adult participants (N = 43,093) reported lifetime ecstasy use. LCA identified three subtypes of ecstasy users. Class 1 exhibited pervasive use ofmost drug classes (ecstasy‐polydrug users, 37%). Class 2 reported a high rate of use of marijuana and cocaine and a moderate use of amphetamines (ecstasy‐marijuana‐stimulant users, 29%). Class 3 was characterized by a high rate of use of marijuana and a low use ofprimarily prescription‐type drugs (ecstasy‐marijuana users, 34%). Subtypes were distinguished by family income, history ofsubstance abuse treatment, and familial substance abuse. Class 1 exhibited the highest prevalence of disorders related to the use of marijuana (77%), tobacco (66%), amphetamines (36%), opioids (35%), sedatives (31%), and tranquilizers (30%). The recent resurgence in ecstasy use among adults underscores the need to monitor trends in its use.