Risk Factors in the Relationship between Gender and Crack Cocaine

以前的研究表明，市中心的女性使用可卡因/可卡因的可能性明显高于 任何其他药物，而且在目前的使用和一生中也比男性更有可能使用可卡因/可卡因 使用量最大(Lejuez等人，在新闻中)。此外，先前的研究结果表明，冲动可能是 妇女在一生中选择可卡因/可卡因的选择。这些发现提高了 对女性使用可卡因令人惊讶，也存在问题，就像使用可卡因/可卡因比使用其他药物更令人惊讶一样 与一些严重的危害健康的行为有关，包括危险的性行为和 艾滋病病毒的感染。在先前研究的基础上，这项针对240名吸毒者的横断面探索性研究， 目前正在接受住宅区虐待治疗，旨在复制之前的发现，表明 与男性相比，女性有更大的可卡因/可卡因使用量(目前和一生中最大)。在……里面 此外，本研究将考察冲动在性别和性别之间的关系中的中介作用。 可卡因/可卡因药物使用。由于冲动已被确认为一种多维结构，它将被 使用自我报告和行为任务以多种方法进行衡量，以解决如何 冲动的特定成分与药物选择有关。此外，这项研究计划扩展到 先前的研究通过探索药物使用的环境背景和个人的 对这一背景的回应。为了实现这一目标，自我报告和行为任务将被用来 评估在用户的社会网络和药物手段中的药物可获得性的社会背景变量 获得，以及社会认知变量，如对排斥的敏感性，关闭的需要，以及 顺应自己关系网中那些人的药物使用的倾向。将使用社会行动理论(SAT) 作为指导工作的框架。SAT详细阐述了现有的社会认知模型。具体来说， SAT在药物选择中的应用将包括三个主要领域：1)环境背景，2)自我 个体的调节能力；3)影响自我调节的内部情绪状态。在以下方面 这项研究有可能为药物治疗和药物治疗的发展提供信息和帮助 专门针对市中心吸毒/滥用可卡因的妇女制定的干预策略，目前 服务不足和了解不足的人群，其目标是特别限制由此产生的后果 与这种药物有关，包括监禁和艾滋病毒感染。 -

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 helath-compromising behaviors including risky sexual beheavior and contraction of HIV. Building on previous research, this cross-sectional, exploratory study of 240.drug users, currently enrolled in residential substnace 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) self- regulation 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. -