Relationship Between Initial Reactions To Cocaine, Expectancy Of Reactions To Cocaine, And Use Patterns

Abstract

Nine-hundred and sixty-two psychology students were administered a short self-report questionnaire that probed their actual initial and expected initial reactions to cocaine. The frequency of experimentation with the drug was quite low; only 30 admitted to having ever used cocaine. For these subjects, measures of Global positive and Global Negative effects were obtained for their first use. Cocaine experienced subjects were also asked what they would expect their next cocaine experience to be like. The remaining subjects were asked what they expected the effects of cocaine to be on their first experiences and subsequent ones. The initial Global positive and initial Global Negative scores were correlated with whether or not subjects had used cocaine a second time and with lifetime frequency of use of the drug. Only the initial Global positive was correlated with latency to second use of cocaine. Neither the expected Global positive nor the expected Global Negative were correlated with second use, lifeuse, or latency to second use. Comparisons between users and nonusers demonstrated that the latter group expected greater negative effects on initial and subsequent uses of cocaine than those experienced by or expected by users. Future studies examining the origin of cocaine-abuse should consider the causes of variability in initial reactions.