Risk Factors in the Relationship between Gender and Crack Cocaine

描述（由申请人提供）：以前的工作表明，市中心的妇女比任何其他药物更有可能使用快克/可卡因，并且在目前的使用和一生中最严重的使用中，也比男性更有可能使用快克/可卡因（Lejuez等人，印刷中）。此外，以前的研究结果表明，冲动可能是女性在一生中选择快克/可卡因的原因。这些女性使用快克的调查结果令人惊讶和有问题，因为快克/可卡因的使用比其他药物更与一些严重的健康危害行为有关，包括危险的性行为和艾滋病毒感染。基于以前的研究，这一横断面，探索性研究的240.吸毒者，目前登记在住宅物质滥用治疗，旨在复制以前的研究结果表明，女性证据更多的使用（当前和一生中最重的）快克/可卡因相比，男性。此外，本研究将探讨冲动作为性别和快克/可卡因药物使用之间的关系的调解人的作用。由于冲动性已被确定为一个多维度的结构，它将被测量在一个多方法的方式使用自我报告和行为任务，以解决冲动性的具体组成部分是如何与药物选择。此外，本研究计划通过探索药物使用周围的环境背景和个人对该背景的反应来扩展以前的研究。为了实现这一目标，自我报告和行为任务都将被用来评估社会背景变量的药物可用性在用户的社交网络和药物获取的手段，以及社会认知变量的敏感性排斥，需要关闭，并符合那些在一个人的网络中的药物使用。社会行动理论（SAT）将被用作指导工作的框架。SAT阐述了现有的社会认知模型。具体而言，SAT在药物选择中的应用将包括3个主要领域：1）环境背景，2）个体的自我调节能力，3）影响自我调节的内部情感状态。在公共卫生方面，这项研究有可能为制定专门针对市中心滥用快克/可卡因的妇女的药物治疗和干预战略提供信息和帮助，这是一个目前服务不足和了解甚少的人群，其目标是限制与这种药物特别相关的后果，包括监禁和艾滋病毒感染。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Previous work has indicated that inner-city women are significantly more likely to use crack/cocaine than any other drug, and are also more likely to use crack/cocaine than men across current use and lifetime heaviest use (Lejuez, et al., in press). In addition, previous results suggest that impulsivity may underlie the choice of women to choose crack/cocaine when considered over their lifetime. These findings of elevated crack use with women are surprising and problematic as crack/cocaine use, more so than other drugs, has been related to a number of serious health-compromising behaviors including risky sexual behavior and contraction of HIV. Building on previous research, this cross-sectional, exploratory study of 240.drug users, currently enrolled in residential substance abuse treatment, aims to replicate the previous findings indicating that females evidence greater use (current and lifetime heaviest) of crack/cocaine compared to males. In addition, this study will examine role of impulsivity as a mediator in the relationship between gender and crack/cocaine drug use. Because impulsivity has been identified as a multidimensional construct, it will be measured in a multi-method manner using both self-report and behavioral tasks in order to address how specific components of impulsivity are related to drug choice. Further this study plans to expand upon previous research by exploring the environmental context surrounding drug use and the individual's response to that context. To accomplish this goal, both self-report and behavioral tasks will be used to assess the social context variables of drug availability within a user's social networks and means of drug obtainment, as well as the social cognitive variables of sensitivity to ostracism, need for closure, and tendency to conform to the drug use of those in one's network. The Social Action Theory (SAT) will be used as a framework to guide the work. The SAT elaborates upon existing social-cognitive models. Specifically, the application of SAT to drug choice will encompass 3 major domains: 1) environmental context, 2) selfregulation capacities of the individual and, 3) internal-affective states that influence self-regulation. In terms of public health, this research has the potential to inform and aid in the development of drug treatment and intervention strategies specifically tailored to inner-city crack/cocaine abusing women, a currently underserved and poorly understood population, with the goal of limiting resulting consequences especially linked to this drug including incarceration and HIV infection.