Initial validation of the Voris Cocaine Craving Scale: a preliminary report.
Although cocaine craving can persist for weeks after the last use and is thought to play a role in future relapses, few short, reliable, and valid instruments exist to measure craving. Therefore, we wished to examine the validity of the 4-item Voris Cocaine Craving Scale (VCCS), which was previously found reliable. A consecutive series of 41 recently withdrawn cocaine-dependent patients completed the 4-item VCCS and the Cocaine Craving Questionnaire (CCQ), which was used as the criterion measure. The VCCS items 1 "craving," 2 "mood," and 3 "health" were significant and highly correlated with the CCQ total craving score. The VCCS may prove to be useful in future outcome studies involving cocaine craving and in routine clinical treatment.
Smelson
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DA
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School, Department of Veterans Affairs, New Jersey Health Care System, Lyons 07939-5000, USA.
McGee-Caulfield
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E
Bergstein
P
P
Engelhart
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C
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D003042:Cocaine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology*; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology*
D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors; D003042:Cocaine