To develop personalized interventions and improve outcomes in substance-using populations, research is needed on the heterogeneity in substance use patterns and motivations that exists among adult substance users. This study took a person-centered approach to identify profiles of lifetime substance use and discern the psychosocial differences among them. To survey a spectrum of drug use severity, 1106 adults (43.4% women) were recruited from forensic and community samples. Participants reported on the frequency of lifetime substance use across multiple drug categories (sedatives, stimulants, marijuana, heroin, hallucinogens, misuse of prescription drugs) and alcohol use. Latent profile analysis was used to identify distinct profiles of substance use that were then compared on potential risk and maintenance factors for substance use. Four profiles of lifetime substance use emerged that diverged on severity of use and degree of mono vs. polysubstance use (Recreational Marijuana Use, Heavy Multidrug Intoxication, Heavy Marijuana Use, and Heavy Opioid and Polysubstance Use). The profiles differed on affective motivations for substance use (e.g., using to cope vs. using to seek a thrill), age of use onset, drug-related functional impairment, and experiences of childhood maltreatment. Cognitive functioning did not differentiate the heavy substance use profiles. Results provide compelling initial evidence that lifetime patterns of use can be used to identify groups of substance users with distinct risk and maintenance factors. Results highlight affective motivations for substance use and maltreatment history as potential treatment targets and underscore the importance of studying polysubstance use in the context of the opioid epidemic.

为了开发个性化干预措施并改善吸毒人群的结果，需要对成人吸毒人群中存在的吸毒模式和动机的异质性进行研究。本研究采用以人为本的方法来识别终生物质使用的概况，并辨别他们之间的社会心理差异。为了调查一系列吸毒严重程度，从法医和社区样本中招募了 1106 名成年人（43.4% 为女性）。参与者报告了多种药物类别（镇静剂、兴奋剂、大麻、海洛因、致幻剂、滥用处方药）和酒精使用的终生物质使用频率。潜在概况分析用于识别物质使用的不同概况，然后对物质使用的潜在风险和维持因素进行比较。娱乐性大麻使用、重度多药中毒、重度大麻使用以及重度阿片类药物和多物质使用）. 这些概况在物质使用的情感动机（例如，使用应对与使用寻求刺激）、使用开始年龄、与药物相关的功能障碍和儿童虐待经历方面存在差异。认知功能没有区分重物质使用概况。结果提供了令人信服的初步证据，表明终生使用模式可用于识别具有不同风险和维护因素的物质使用者群体。结果突出了物质使用的情感动机和虐待史作为潜在的治疗目标，并强调了在阿片类药物流行的背景下研究多种物质使用的重要性。