PLoS Med

Parental opioid use strongly linked to persistent opioid use in offspring

November 4, 2025

Parental opioid prescribing is a strong, independent risk factor for opioid initiation and persistence in youth. These findings underscore the need for family-based strategies in pain management and opioid stewardship for young people.

Study details: This prospective cohort study analyzed data from 21,470 adolescents and young adults (ages 13–29) participating in the Young-HUNT or HUNT studies in Norway (2006–2008 and 2017–2019). Each participant was paired with at least one parent, and parental opioid prescriptions were categorized as 0, 1, or ≥2 over five years. Analyses were stratified by parental chronic musculoskeletal pain status and adjusted for key demographic and health variables. Outcomes included any opioid prescription and persistent opioid use (≥3 of 4 quarters in a year).

Results: Offspring of parents with ≥2 opioid prescriptions had a significantly higher risk of persistent opioid use (hazard ratio [HR], 2.60 [95% confidence interval, 1.86–3.65] for mothers; 2.37 [95% CI, 1.56–3.60] for fathers) compared with those with no parental opioid prescriptions. Risk for any opioid prescription was also elevated (HRs, ~1.2–1.3), and these associations weren't meaningfully altered by parental chronic pain status.

Source:

Marcuzzi A, et al. (2025, October 23). PLoS Med. Parental opioid prescriptions and the risk of opioid use in adolescents and young adults: The HUNT Study linked with prescription registry data. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41129490/