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A Protocol for Measuring Cue Reactivity in a Rat Model of Cocaine Use Disorder
Published on: June 18, 2018
Differences in impulsivity and sexual risk behavior among inner-city crack/cocaine users and heroin users
C W Lejuez1, Marina A Bornovalova, Stacey B Daughters
1Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA. clejuez@psyc.umd.edu
Abstract:
The current study utilized a sample of 123 inner-city drug users in residential treatment, comparing sexual risk behavior (SRB) across primary users of (a) heroin and not crack/cocaine, (b) crack/cocaine and not heroin, and (c) both heroin and crack/cocaine. Additional analyses also examined impulsivity as a mediator of drug choice and SRB. Results indicated that SRB was higher in primary crack/cocaine users than in primary heroin users, with those using both drugs evidencing intermediate levels of SRB. Beyond differences in SRB, a similar pattern across drugs was found for impulsivity. Finally, impulsivity mediated the relationship between drug choice and SRB. Although further research is necessary to establish causal relationships, these results support a relationship between SBR and crack/cocaine, and suggest that disinhibition processes including impulsivity may underlie this relationship.
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