Performance on the Stroop predicts treatment compliance in cocaine-dependent individuals.

Journal article

Treatment dropout is a problem of great prevalence and stands as an obstacle to recovery in cocaine-dependent (CD) individuals. Treatment attrition in CD individuals may result from impairments in cognitive control, which can be reliably measured by the Stroop color-word interference task. The present analyses contrasted baseline performance on the color-naming, word-reading, and interference subtests of the Stroop task in CD subjects who completed a cocaine treatment trial (completers: N=50) and those who dropped out of the trial before completion (non-completers: N=24). A logistic regression analysis was used to predict trial completion using three models with the following variables: the Stroop task subscale scores (Stroop model); the Hamilton depression rating scale (HDRS) scores (HDRS model); and both the Stroop task subscale scores and HDRS scores (Stroop and HDRS model). Each model was able to significantly predict group membership (completers vs non-completers) better than a model based on a simple constant (HDRS model p=0.02, Stroop model p=0.006, and Stroop and HDRS model p=0.003). Models using the Stroop preformed better than the HDRS model. These findings suggest that the Stroop task can be used to identify cocaine-dependent subjects at risk for treatment dropout. The Stroop task is a widely available, reliable, and valid instrument that can be easily employed to identify and tailor interventions of at risk individuals in the hope of improving treatment compliance.

Authors: Streeter, C; Terhune, D; Whitfield, T; Gruber, S; Sarid-Segal, O

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
• Volume: 33
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 827-836
• Publication date: 2008-03-01
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.npp.1301465
• EISSN: 1740-634X
• ISSN: 0893-133X
• Language: English
• Keywords: Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Female; Humans; Logistic Models; Reading; Color Perception; Neuropsychological Tests; Middle Aged; Adult; Male; Predictive Value of Tests; Analysis of Variance; Patient Compliance; Sensitivity and Specificity; Cocaine-Related Disorders