title: The reliability and validity of the French version of the Cocaine Craving Questionnaire-Brief.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cocaine has become a noticeable part of the European drug scene and is the second most commonly used illicit drug among the general population. Craving is a core issue in cocaine dependence and is strongly associated with lapse and/or relapse. However, no craving scale exists in French. The objective of our study was to assess the reliability and validity of a French language version of the 10-item Cocaine Craving Questionnaire-Brief (CCQ-Brief).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 131 individuals ranging in age from 18 to 65 years were enrolled in a 12-month outpatient treatment program in 2009. The participants were seeking treatment for cocaine dependence. They completed the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) and the French version of the CCQ-Brief. At the end of the interview, a Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGIS) was completed by a clinician blind to the subject's treatment group. We evaluated the internal consistency of the French CCQ-Brief using Cronbach's α coefficient and the correlation of each item with the total scale using the Pearson's coefficient. We conducted an exploratory factorial analysis followed by a scree test. Only items with factor loading >0.3 were retained. The convergent validity of the French CCQ-Brief was assessed using Pearson's correlation between the CCQ-Brief and the CGIS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean (SD) score of the 10-item CCQ-Brief was 3.4 (1.5). Cronbach's α coefficient 0.88 and remained high even when an item was deleted (ranging from 0.86 to 0.88), indicating that this tool possesses a high internal consistency. Each item exhibited a strong correlation with the total score ranging from 0.62 to 0.83. All items presented factor loadings ranged from 0.47 to 0.83. The correlation between the CCQ-Brief and the CGIS was high (r=0.49, p<0.0001), indicating a sufficient convergent validity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The French version of the CCQ-Brief is a reliable and valid instrument that can provide a comprehensive assessment of cocaine craving in treatment-seeking cocaine-dependent patients.
authors.affiliation: Addiction Research and Treatment Center, Paul-Brousse Hospital (Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris [AP-HP]), Villejuif, France. laurent.karila@gmail.com
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Karila
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Seringe
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benyamina
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reynaud
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000379:methods*; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult