The volatile opioid epidemic is associated with higher levels of opioid use disorder (OUD) and negative health outcomes in adolescents and young adults. Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) demonstrate the best evidence for treating OUD. Adherence to and retention in MOUD among adolescents and young adults, however, is incompletely understood. This systematic review examines the state of the literature regarding the association of age with adherence to and retention in MOUD using methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone among persons aged 10 to 24 along with related facilitators and barriers. The research team searched for all studies of MOUD that examined adherence, retention, or related concepts as an outcome variable where the sample included adolescents or young adults. Search criteria generated 10,229 records, which, after removing duplicates and conducting title/abstract screening, yielded 587 studies for full-text review. Ultimately, 52 articles met inclusion criteria for abstraction and 17 were selected for qualitative coding and analysis. This review found younger age to be consistently associated with shorter retention in the published literature, although the overall quality of included studies was low. Several factors at the individual, interpersonal, and institutional levels, such as concurrent substance use, MOUD adherence, family conflict, and MOUD dosage and flexibility, were seen as playing a role in MOUD retention among adolescents and young adults. This review highlights how MOUD providers can tailor treatment to increase retention of adolescents and young adults while pointing to the need for more research explaining MOUD adherence and retention disparities in this age group.
Drug-law enforcement constitutes a structural determinant of health among people who inject drugs (PWID). Street encounters between police and PWID (e.g., syringe confiscation, physical assault) have been associated with health harms, but these relationships have not been systematically assessed. We conducted a systematic literature review to evaluate the contribution of policing to risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among PWID. We screened MEDLINE, sociological databases, and gray literature for studies published from 1981 to November 2018 that included estimates of HIV infection/risk behaviors and street policing encounters. We extracted and summarized quantitative findings from all eligible studies. We screened 8,201 abstracts, reviewed 175 full-text articles, and included 27 eligible analyses from 9 countries (Canada, China, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Russia, Thailand, Ukraine, and the United States). Heterogeneity in variable and endpoint selection precluded meta-analyses. In 5 (19%) studies, HIV infection among PWID was significantly associated with syringe confiscation, reluctance to buy/carry syringes for fear of police, rushed injection due to a police presence, fear of arrest, being arrested for planted drugs, and physical abuse. Twenty-one (78%) studies identified policing practices to be associated with HIV risk behaviors related to injection drug use (e.g., syringe-sharing, using a "shooting gallery"). In 9 (33%) studies, policing was associated with PWID avoidance of harm reduction services, including syringe exchange, methadone maintenance, and safe consumption facilities. Evidence suggests that policing shapes HIV risk among PWID, but lower-income settings are underrepresented. Curbing injection-related HIV risk necessitates additional structural interventions. Methodological harmonization could facilitate knowledge generation on the role of police as a determinant of population health.