Losing a loved one to a drug overdose has been a common experience for many Americans in recent years, heightening the importance of recognizing the overdose crisis as a policy issue across political and socioeconomic divides, he said. New Research The study was led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Thirty-two percent of the U.S. adult population, or an estimated 82.7 million people, have lost someone they know to a fatal drug overdose, according to a nationally representative survey of more than 2,300 Americans conducted in the spring of 2023. For nearly one-fifth of survey respondents, or 18.9% of an estimated 48.9 million adults, the person they knew who died from an overdose was a family member or close friend.
Overdose death rates did not vary significantly by party affiliation, but people who had experienced an overdose death were more likely to view addiction as an extremely or very important policy issue.
The study was published online May 31. JAMA Health Forum.
“Although many American adults have lost a loved one to a drug overdose, this may not be as noticeable as other groups who lose loved ones to less stigmatized health issues.”
Alene Kennedy Hendrix
Assistant Professor, Bloomberg School of Public Health
“The drug overdose crisis is a national tragedy.” Alene Kennedy HendrixAssistant Professor School of Health Policy and Management “Many adults in the United States have lost family members to drug overdoses, but their loss may not be as visible as other groups who lose loved ones to less stigmatized health issues. The role of this community must be considered in any campaign to build support for policy changes to overcome the devastating toll of the drug overdose crisis,” said Bloomberg School researchers who led the analysis.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 1 million Americans have died from drug overdoses since the late 1990s, with the number exceeding 100,000 annually in recent years. Preliminary data from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics show that overdose deaths last year fell slightly for the first time in five years, down 3% from 2022. The CDC’s preliminary death toll for 2023 is estimated at about 108,000, still near the record high.
The overdose crisis has progressed through several stages, beginning with prescription opioids such as oxycodone playing a key role, followed by heroin and more recently by illicitly produced, powerful synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and polypharmacy. Opioids can depress breathing as a side effect, and the unpredictability of the illicit drug supply and the potency of fentanyl dramatically increase the risk of overdose.
Although the survey questions did not specifically mention opioids, the majority of overdose deaths in the past 20 years have been opioid-related.
The overdose crisis affects not only the direct victims, but also their relatives, friends and acquaintances. Kennedy Hendrix and her colleagues at the Bloomberg School write: Center for Mental Health and Addiction Policy We launched this study to shed light on this widespread impact, which has so far been little studied.
The paper was co-authored by colleagues from the Boston University School of Public Health, the University of Minnesota, and the de Beaumont Foundation. The lead author of the study is Sandro Galea, dean of the Boston University School of Public Health.
The survey is part of the Impact of COVID-19 and Life Stress on Mental Health and Well-Being (CLIMB) study. Katherine EttmanAssistant Professor at the Bloomberg School School of Health Policy and ManagementThe CLIMB survey has surveyed a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults annually since 2020. This study of overdose deaths asked participants, “Do you personally know someone who died from a drug overdose?” in Wave 4 of CLIMB, from March 28 to April 17, 2023. A total of 2,326 participants responded to this question. Participants who answered “yes” were then asked the question, “Do you personally know someone who died from a drug overdose?”
Losses from overdoses were reported across all income groups. Among low-income respondents (defined as having an annual household income of less than $30,000), 40% reported losses from overdoses. More than a quarter (26%) of respondents with an annual household income of $100,000 or more reported losses from overdoses.
The rates of reported overdose deaths did not vary significantly among self-identified Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, highlighting the widespread phenomenon.
The data show high levels of support for the view that addiction is an extremely or very important policy issue across all groups, exceeding 60% even among those who report no losses from overdoses. Respondents who report losses from overdoses are 37% more likely to view addiction as an extremely or very important policy priority.
“This study provides new evidence that the addiction crisis and its associated costs are shared across Americans, but the burden is greater for those who are less financially secure,” Etman said. “Tackling addiction can be a unifying theme in an increasingly divided time.”
The researchers plan to continue their research in future CLIMB studies by examining the association between overdose losses and other social variables, such as trust in institutions.
“Experiences of Personal Loss from Drug Overdose Among U.S. Adults.” Co-authors are Alene Kennedy-Hendricks, Catherine Ettman, Sarah Gollust, Sachini Bandara, Salma Abdalla, Brian Castrucci, and Sandro Galea.
The fourth wave of the CLIMB study was funded by a grant from the de Beaumont Foundation.
