The relation between social desirability and different measures of heroin craving

A low association between self-reported craving and physiological measures of craving is often found. Social desirability might influence this relation between subjective and physiological reactivity. Subjects were seventy-six in-patient abstinent heroin abusers. Social desirability, general craving scores and difference scores of physiological and subjective heroin craving, measured after exposure to a neutral and heroin cue were assessed. Cue reactivity, both subjective and physiological was found to be enhanced after exposure to a heroin-related cue. In line with earlier studies, a modest relation was found between subjective and physiological cue reactivity. Contrary to earlier research, however, high social desirability scores were associated with lower craving scores, but not with physiological scores. It can be concluded that, among other subject-related variables, social desirability influences self-reported craving but does not influence physiological reactivity in a clinical population. No significant moderation effect of social desirability on the relation between subjective and physiological reactivity was found.