The rise of the opioid epidemic coincided with the increased risk of suicide as the leading causes of death among adolescents in the United States. Past research has linked non-medical prescription opioid use (NMPOU) with adolescent suicide. Less focus has been placed on race and ethnic differences among adolescents impacted by the opioid epidemic. This study examined the relationship of adolescent NMPOU and suicidality, stratified by race. The 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) was used for this study. Weighted multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted on a sample of 11,489 adolescent respondents to examine the effect of past-year NMPOU with the odds for serious thoughts of suicide, having a suicide plan, and making a suicide attempt. Findings indicated a higher prevalence of suicidality among adolescents who engaged in NMPOU compared to non-users. Adolescent opioid misuse was associated with 68% higher odds for having a suicide plan in the past year (OR = 1.68, 95% CI 1.07, 2.63, p < .05). Interaction analysis found that among Asian adolescents, NMPOU was associated with higher odds for having a suicide plan compared to other race groups (OR = 1.53, 95% CI 1.04, 2.23, p < .05). Results indicated that adolescent opioid misuse is a risk factor for suicide, and Asians compared to other race groups were at greater risk. Social workers can serve as a nexus point in effectively engaging at-risk adolescents in substance use and mental health prevention and recovery services.

阿片类药物流行的兴起恰逢自杀风险增加，自杀是美国青少年死亡的主要原因。过去的研究已将非医疗处方阿片类药物使用 (NMPOU) 与青少年自杀联系起来。较少关注受阿片类药物流行影响的青少年的种族和民族差异。本研究调查了按种族分层的青少年 NMPOU 与自杀倾向的关系。本研究使用了 2016 年全国药物使用和健康调查 (NSDUH)。对 11,489 名青少年受访者的样本进行了加权多元逻辑回归分析，以检查过去一年 NMPOU 对严重自杀念头、有自杀计划和自杀未遂几率的影响。调查结果表明，与未使用 NMPOU 的青少年相比，使用 NMPOU 的青少年自杀率更高。青少年滥用阿片类药物与过去一年中有自杀计划的几率高出 68% 相关（OR = 1.68，95% CI 1.07，2.63，p  < .05）。交互分析发现，在亚裔青少年中，与其他种族群体相比，NMPOU 与制定自杀计划的几率更高（OR = 1.53，95% CI 1.04、2.23，p < .05 ）  。结果表明，青少年滥用阿片类药物是自杀的一个危险因素，与其他种族相比，亚洲人的自杀风险更高。社会工作者可以作为一个联系点，有效地让处于危险中的青少年参与物质使用和心理健康预防和康复服务。