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Impulsivity and decision making in older and younger cocaine‐dependent participants: A preliminary study
Author(s) -
Johns Sade E.,
Wang Qin,
Straub Lisa K.,
Moeller F.Gerard
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
the american journal on addictions
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.997
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1521-0391
pISSN - 1055-0496
DOI - 10.1111/ajad.12806
Subject(s) - impulsivity , psychology , trait , clinical psychology , population , young adult , addiction , psychiatry , medicine , developmental psychology , environmental health , computer science , programming language
Background and Objectives Substance misuse is increasing in the older population, which may have differing effects on behavior compared to younger substance participants. Differences in trait and state impulsivity were assessed in younger and older cocaine‐dependent participants. Methods Thirty‐one younger cocaine‐dependent participants ( n = 31) and 21 older cocaine‐dependent participants ( n = 21) were assessed using the Barrett Impulsiveness Scale‐11 and the Immediate Memory Task. Results Younger participants showed higher trait impulsivity than older participants ( p =.027). However, older participants demonstrated higher state impulsivity than younger participants ( p =.018). Conclusion Higher state impulsivity in older cocaine participants suggests that cocaine use may have accelerating effects on the aging brain. Scientific Significance This preliminary study adds the limited research on how cocaine use affects normal aging. Current treatments are based on younger adults, therefore the needs of older adults should be taken into consideration and studied more. (Am J Addict 2018;27:557–559)