title: Among long-term crack smokers, who avoids and who succumbs to cocaine addiction?
abstract: Crack cocaine is a highly addictive drug. To learn more about crack addiction, long-term crack smokers who had never met the DSM-IV criteria for lifetime cocaine dependence were compared with those who had. The study sample consisted of crack users (n=172) from the Dayton, Ohio, area who were interviewed periodically over 8 years. Data were collected on a range of variables including age of crack initiation, frequency of recent use, and lifetime cocaine dependence. Cocaine dependence was common with 62.8% of the sample having experienced it. There were no statistically significant differences between dependent and non-dependent users for age of crack initiation or frequency of crack use. In terms of sociodemographics, only race/ethnicity was significant, with proportionally fewer African-Americans than whites meeting the criteria for cocaine dependence. Controlling for sociodemographics, partial correlation analysis showed positive, statistically significant relationships between lifetime cocaine dependence and anti-social personality disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and lifetime dependence on alcohol, cannabis, amphetamine, sedative-hypnotics, and opioids. These results highlight the importance addressing race/ethnicity and comorbid disorders when developing, implementing, and evaluating interventions targeting people who use crack cocaine. Additional research is needed to better understand the role of race/ethnicity in the development of cocaine dependence resulting from crack use.
authors.affiliation: Center for Interventions, Treatment & Addictions Research, Wright State University, Boonshoft School of Medicine (WSUBSOM), 3640 Colonel Glenn Highway, Dayton, OH 45435, USA. russel.falck@wright.edu
authors.forename: Russel S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Falck
authors.forename: Jichuan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Robert G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Carlson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D044383:Black People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D015897:Comorbidity; D016578:Crack Cocaine; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009820:Ohio; D012307:Risk Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001741:Black or African American
chemical_list: D016578:Crack Cocaine; D013287:Illicit Drugs