The Psychometric Properties of the Obsessive Compulsive Drug Use Scale (OCDUS) Among Iranian Methamphetamine Abusers

Background and Aim:Drug craving as a multidimensional subjective experience recently is accepted as a hallmark for addiction. The Obsessive Compulsive Drug Use Scale (OCDUS), measures the overall craving level within a period from a multidimensional perspective. This study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the OCDUSamong Iranian methamphetamine abusers. Materials and Methods:OCDUS was translated from English into Farsi by language experts. The questionnaire was then used for evaluation of craving among 50 male methamphetamine abusers. Then, OCDUS questionnaire' scores was subjected to exploratory principal components factor analysis. To assess construct validity of OCDUS, the model was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency was examined by calculating Cronbach’s alpha. Results:Exploratory factor analysis identified 2-dimensional components that included, "Desire consumption and mental employment with materials", "The Impact of drug desire and Thoughts on Consumer Work and Life". Finally, the Persian version of OCDUS was verified with 10 items and two factors with high eigenvalues 76.5% of the total variance. Given the relative fit of the confirmatory factor model, the construct validity of the OCDUS was verified. Conclusion:The Farsi-translated version of OCDUS questionnaires had good psychometric properties. The questionnaire could be considered as a valid and reliable instrument for the assessment of drug craving level in Iranian methamphetamine abusers

The Psychometric Properties of the Desires for Drug Questionnaire (DDQ) among Iranians Methamphetamine Abusers

Introduction: Drug-craving as a multidimensional subjective experience recently has beenaccepted as an addiction hallmark. Desire for Drug Questionnaire or DDQ is a well-knownquestionnaire for measurement of drug craving severity. This study aimed to investigate thepsychometric properties of the DDQ among Iranian methamphetamine abusers.Method: DDQ was translated from English into Farsi by language experts. The questionnaire wasthen used for evaluation of craving among 50 male methamphetamine abusers. Then, DDQquestionnaire' scores was subjected to an exploratory principal components factor analysis. Toassess construct validity of DDQ, the model was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis.Internal consistency was examined by calculating cronbach’s alpha.Results: Finally, the Persian version of DDQ was verified with 13 items and three factors. Threefactors with high eigenvalues were identified by (PCA) that accounted for 70.63% of the totalvariance. Given the relative fit of the confirmatory factor model, the construct validity of the DDQwas verified. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the total score of the questionnaire was 0.86.Conclusion: The Farsi-translated version of DDQ questionnaires had good psychometric properties.The questionnaire could be considered as a valid and reliable instrument for the assessment of drugcraving level in Iranian methamphetamine abusers

COVID-19 and Substance Use Disorders:Recommendations to a Comprehensive Healthcare Response. An International Society of Addiction Medicine (ISAM) Practice and Policy Interest Group Position Paper

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is escalating all over the world and has higher morbidities and mortalities in certain vulnerable populations. People Who Use Drugs (PWUD) are a marginalized and stigmatized group with weaker immunity responses, vulnerability to stress, poor health conditions, high-risk behaviors, and lower access to health care services. These conditions put them at a higher risk of COVID-19 infection and its complications. In this paper, an international group of experts on addiction medicine, infectious diseases, and disaster psychiatry explore the possible raised concerns in this issue and provide recommendations to manage the comorbidity of COVID-19 and Substance Use Disorder (SUD).Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

On the Measurement of Reinforcing Efficacy of Methamphetamine Using Self-Administration Procedures:A Review & Future Directions

A B S T R A C T Abstract- Methamphetamine has rapidly become more prominent in Iran, which is now second most common drug behind heroin. Moreover, initiation of methamphetamine abuse is a major cause of failure of opioid treatment programs such as Methadone maintenance treatment. This calls for development of more effective treatment methods for methamphetamine addiction, and especially development of techniques for evaluating of their effectiveness in a laboratory and controlled settings. Measuring the reinforcing efficacy of a drug during the course of a treatment can provide such an evaluation, which is typically based on self-administration procedures. This article is aimed to summarize and discuss self-administration procedures that are commonly used in human research, and especially the particular value of these procedures in studying methamphetamine addiction. We also present a self-administration procedure for assessment of reinforcing efficacy of methamphetamine

On the Measurement of Reinforcing Efficacy of Methamphetamine Using Self-Administration Procedures:A Review & Future Directions

A B S T R A C T Abstract- Methamphetamine has rapidly become more prominent in Iran, which is now second most common drug behind heroin. Moreover, initiation of methamphetamine abuse is a major cause of failure of opioid treatment programs such as Methadone maintenance treatment. This calls for development of more effective treatment methods for methamphetamine addiction, and especially development of techniques for evaluating of their effectiveness in a laboratory and controlled settings. Measuring the reinforcing efficacy of a drug during the course of a treatment can provide such an evaluation, which is typically based on self-administration procedures. This article is aimed to summarize and discuss self-administration procedures that are commonly used in human research, and especially the particular value of these procedures in studying methamphetamine addiction. We also present a self-administration procedure for assessment of reinforcing efficacy of methamphetamine

Human Laboratory Settings for Assessing Drug Craving; Implications for the Evaluation of Treatment Efficacy

Research on assessing craving in laboratory settings often involves inducing and then measuring craving in subjects. Cue-induced craving is studied in laboratory settings using the cue reactivity paradigm, in which drug-related photos, videos, evocative scripts, olfactory cues, and paraphernalia may induce craving. Cue-induced craving evoked by drug-related stimuli could be associated with relapse and recurrence of drug addiction. In this article, the authors review different methods of assessing craving in laboratory settings and explain how human laboratory settings can bridge the gap between randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and animal models on pharmacological treatments for drug dependence. The brief reviewed literature provides strong evidence that laboratory-based studies of craving may improve our understanding of how subjective reports of drug craving are related to objective measures of drug abuse and laboratory settings provide an opportunity to measure the degree to which they co-vary during pharmacological interventions. This issue has important implications inclinical studies

Prefer a cash slap in your face over credit for halva

We investigated how frequency and amount of punishment affect the decision making of Iranian subjects. In our first experiment, performing a computer-based Persian version of the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), our subjects scored remarkably lower than their Western counterparts. Moreover, our subjects chose more frequently and more rapidly from decks that had less frequent but larger amounts of punishments in comparison to decks that had more frequent punishments with smaller amounts. In our second experiment, subjects did not differentiate between decks with the same frequency of punishment but with different punishment amounts. However, among decks with the same amount but different frequency of punishment, a significant preference was apparent towards decks with less frequency of punishment. Our results differ from previous studies, indicating a different strategy in risky decision making among healthy adult Iranian subjects, as they show low attention to the amount of punishment and are more concerned with the frequency of punishment.risky decision making, Iowa Gambling Task, cross cultural.

Designing and Evaluation of Reliability and Validity of Visual Cue-Induced Craving Assessment Task for Methamphetamine Smokers

A B S T R A C TIntroduction: Craving to methamphetamine is a significant health concern and exposure to methamphetamine cues in laboratory can induce craving. In this study, a task designing procedure for evaluating methamphetamine cue-induced craving in laboratory conditions is examined. Methods: First a series of visual cues which could induce craving was identified by 5 discussion sessions between expert clinicians and 10 methamphetamine smokers. Cues were categorized in 4 main clusters and photos were taken for each cue in studio, then 60 most evocative photos were selected and 10 neutral photos were added. In this phase, 50 subjects with methamphetamine dependence, had exposure to cues and rated craving intensity induced by the 72 cues (60 active evocative photos + 10 neutral photos) on self report Visual Analogue Scale (ranging from 0-100). In this way, 50 photos with high levels of evocative potency (CICT 50) and 10 photos with the most evocative potency (CICT 10) were obtained and subsequently, the task was designed. Results: The task reliability (internal consistency) was measured by Cronbach’s alpha which was 91% for (CICT 50) and 71% for (CICT 10). The most craving induced was reported for category Drug use procedure (66.27±30.32) and least report for category Cues associated with drug use (31.38±32.96). Difference in cue-induced craving in (CICT 50) and (CICT 10) were not associated with age, education, income, marital status, employment and sexual activity in the past 30 days prior to study entry. Family living condition was marginally correlated with higher scores in (CICT 50). Age of onset for (opioids, cocaine and methamphetamine) was negatively correlated with (CICT 50) and (CICT 10) and age of first opiate use was negatively correlated with (CICT 50). Discussion: Cue-induced craving for methamphetamine may be reliably measured by tasks designed in laboratory and designed assessment tasks can be used in cue reactivity paradigm, and imaging studies related to methamphetamine dependence