title: Performance on the Stroop predicts treatment compliance in cocaine-dependent individuals.
abstract: Treatment dropout is a problem of great prevalence and stands as an obstacle to recovery in cocaine-dependent (CD) individuals. Treatment attrition in CD individuals may result from impairments in cognitive control, which can be reliably measured by the Stroop color-word interference task. The present analyses contrasted baseline performance on the color-naming, word-reading, and interference subtests of the Stroop task in CD subjects who completed a cocaine treatment trial (completers: N=50) and those who dropped out of the trial before completion (non-completers: N=24). A logistic regression analysis was used to predict trial completion using three models with the following variables: the Stroop task subscale scores (Stroop model); the Hamilton depression rating scale (HDRS) scores (HDRS model); and both the Stroop task subscale scores and HDRS scores (Stroop and HDRS model). Each model was able to significantly predict group membership (completers vs non-completers) better than a model based on a simple constant (HDRS model p=0.02, Stroop model p=0.006, and Stroop and HDRS model p=0.003). Models using the Stroop preformed better than the HDRS model. These findings suggest that the Stroop task can be used to identify cocaine-dependent subjects at risk for treatment dropout. The Stroop task is a widely available, reliable, and valid instrument that can be easily employed to identify and tailor interventions of at risk individuals in the hope of improving treatment compliance.
authors.affiliation: Division of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA. streeter@bu.edu
authors.forename: Chris C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Streeter
authors.forename: Devin B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Terhune
authors.forename: Theodore H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Whitfield
authors.forename: Staci
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gruber
authors.forename: Ofra
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sarid-Segal
authors.forename: Marisa M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Silveri
authors.forename: Golfo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tzilos
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Afshar
authors.forename: Elizabeth D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Rouse
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Perry F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Renshaw
authors.forename: Domenic A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Ciraulo
authors.forename: Deborah A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Yurgelun-Todd
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D003118:Color Perception / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011932:Reading; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity