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Coherence of the dependence syndrome in cocaine users
Author(s) -
BRYANT KENDALL J.,
ROUNSAVILLE BRUCE J.,
BABOR THOMAS F.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
british journal of addiction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.424
H-Index - 193
eISSN - 1360-0443
pISSN - 0952-0481
DOI - 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1991.tb01705.x
Subject(s) - cocaine dependence , addiction , coherence (philosophical gambling strategy) , psychology , centrality , alcohol dependence , cocaine use , drug , withdrawal syndrome , clinical psychology , psychiatry , medicine , alcohol , anesthesia , statistics , chemistry , mathematics , biochemistry
The method of diagnosing drug dependence introduced in DSM‐III‐R is largely untested for drugs other than alcohol. Cocaine, unlike alcohol, lacks clearly identifiable withdrawal symptoms, yet is also considered highly addictive. Can criteria derived from the dependence syndrome concept be generally applied to treatment seeking cocaine users? To evaluate the coherence of the dependence syndrome elements for cocaine, factor analysis models are applied to the nine dichotomous DSM‐III‐R drug‐dependence criteria derived from structured clinical interviews with 399 cocaine users. A single factor model, in which both the centrality and severity of each criteria were assessed, adequately describes the criteria and supports the coherence of the dependence syndrome concept for cocaine. Pre‐occupation was the most central criterion in defining cocaine dependence. However, avoiding withdrawal through the use of other drugs measured the most severe level of drug dependence. Inability to stop using the tolerance were only minimally related to the measurement of cocaine dependence.