Examining Risk for Frequent Cocaine Use: Focus on an African American Treatment Population
BACKGROUND:
Cocaine
use and its consequences are disproportionately higher and more severe among
African Americans compared to other ethnic/racial groups.
OBJECTIVES:
The
aims of this study were to examine a risk model specific for African American
users and assess whether risk varies as a function of sex.
METHODS:
270
African American adults in a residential drug treatment facility completed
measurements assessing first and past year crack/cocaine use frequency,
childhood trauma, and stress reactivity. Multiple linear regression analysis
was used to examine the unique effect of each predictor variable on past year
crack/cocaine frequency. Sex was included as a moderator variable in the
regression analysis.
RESULTS:
All
predictor variables were positively correlated with past year crack/cocaine
use. However, sex differences were also observed: females reported higher rates
of childhood emotional abuse, childhood sexual abuse, and stress reactivity-as
well as past year crack use and cocaine use-than males. Regression analyses
were performed with sex, first year use, and stress reactivity emerging as the
only significant predictors for frequency of crack and cocaine use among all
study participants. Moreover, sex differences were observed in the influence of
first year crack use frequency on past year crack use frequency, such that the
effect was stronger for males than for females. Conclusion/Importance: This
study offers a clearer understanding of the risk factors for crack and cocaine
abuse specific to African Americans, as well as sex specific pathways to risk,
providing useful implications for future prevention and treatment efforts.
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