General and specific locus of control in cocaine abusers

Although the struggle for control has been widely recognized as a central feature of addiction, information about its role in the development and maintenance of addictive behavior is limited. This study compared general and specific locus of control in three groups of cocaine abusers: (a) hospitalized subjects with no prior treatment experience, (b) hospitalized subjects with prior treatment experience, and (c) recovering cocaine abusers. Results of initial analyses of variance revealed significant group differences on both general and specific scales. Scores of recovering cocaine abusers were more internal than those of hospitalized subjects. Differences on the general scale were not significant when age was controlled. No significant differences were noted between the two groups of hospitalized subjects, but scores of hospitalized cocaine abusers made an internal shift over the course of treatment. These findings support generalizability of models previously applied to alcoholics and suggest that internality is positively correlated with recovery.