# Trends in Hospital Admissions for Psychoactive Substance Intoxication Among Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults in Slovenia, 2013–2023

## TL;DR

This study examines trends in hospital admissions for drug intoxication among children and young adults in Slovenia from 2013 to 2023, revealing shifts in substance use patterns.

## Contribution

The study identifies specific trends in PAS intoxication, including sex differences and age-specific shifts in substance use patterns.

## Key findings

- Hospital admissions for alcohol-related intoxication decreased in children and adolescents but increased in young adult males.
- Polydrug use and unspecified PAS intoxication showed increasing trends among adolescents.
- Female adolescents experienced rising rates of sedative or hypnotic poisoning since 2017.

## Abstract

Background/Objectives: Intoxication by psychoactive substances (PASs) in children, adolescents, and young adults is a growing public health concern, with evolving patterns of use and hospital presentation. This study aimed to analyze the trends in hospital admissions for PASs among children and youth aged 10 to 24 years in Slovenia during the 2013–2023 period. Methods: We performed a retrospective observational study on patients discharged after hospitalization due to poisoning by PASs, according to ICD 10 AM. We considered four groups: children (aged 10–14), adolescents (aged 15–19) and young adults (20–21 and 22–24 years old). Annual hospitalization rates were stratified by sex, age group, and PAS category. The joinpoint regression model was used to estimate the average annual percentage change (AAPC) and annual percentage change (APC) response time trend. Results: Of those hospitalized, 52% were male and 65% were adolescents, followed by children (13%). A statistically significant decrease in alcohol-related hospitalizations was observed in the 10–14 and 15–19 age groups for both sexes in the period 2013–2023, while a statistically significant increasing trend was observed for alcohol in 22–24-year-old males during the period 2019–2023, and in multiple drug/other/unspecified PASs in the 15–19 age group in the period 2015–2023. Conclusions: Slovenia has some peculiarities in the abuse of PASs. Sex reversal phenomena are present already among children (especially for alcohol), and there are shifting risks in polydrug use in adolescents and emerging threats, as well as an increase in sedative or hypnotic poisoning in female adolescents since 2017.