Table 1.
Sociodemographic characteristics, patterns of crack cocaine (crack) use, concomitant substance use disorders, and psychiatric symptomatology in treatment-seeking crack-dependent individuals in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, at intake.
| VARIABLE | N = 65 |
|---|---|
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 35.3 (8.5) |
| Male sex, n (%) | 57 (87.7) |
| Marital status | |
| Single, n (%) | 45 (69,2) |
| Married, n (%) | 13 (20.0) |
| Divorced, n (%) | 7 (10.8) |
| Education | |
| Years of schooling, mean (SD) | 9.3 (3.6) |
| < 9 years of schooling, n (%) | 23 (35.4) |
| ≥ 12 years of schooling , n (%) | 19 (29.2) |
| Social classa | |
| A, n (%) | 7 (10.8) |
| B, n (%) | 14 (21.5) |
| C, n (%) | 21 (32.3) |
| D, n (%) | 3 (4.6) |
| E, n (%) | 20 (30.8) |
| Occupation | |
| Unemployed, n (%) | 54 (83.1) |
| Formal employment, n (%) | 3 (4.6) |
| Homeless, n (%) | 15 (23.1) |
| Pattern of crack use | |
| Age at onset of crack use (years), mean (SD) | 22.7 (6.9) |
| Duration of crack use (years), mean (SD) | 12.6 (7.4) |
| Quantity of crack use in the last three months. | |
| Crack rocks smoked per day, mean (SD) | 12.3 (12.4) |
| Frequency of crack use in the last three months. | |
| Up to three days per month, n (%) | 11 (16.9) |
| At least once per week, n (%) | 15 (23.1) |
| Two to four days per week, n (%) | 13 (20.0) |
| Five or more days per week, n (%) | 26 (40.0) |
| Time since last crack use (days), mean (SD) | 7.3 (8.6) |
| Crack-positive urine sample, n (%) | 32 (49.2) |
| Impact of crack use | |
| Has slept on the streets due to crack use, n (%) | 42 (64.6) |
| Has been to “Crackland”b in order to use crack, n (%) | 58 (89.2) |
| Treatment history | |
| Attended self-help group meetings due to crack use, n (%) | 31 (47.7) |
| Received outpatient treatment for crack dependence, n (%) | 40 (61.5) |
| Received inpatient treatment for crack dependence, n (%) | 55 (84.6) |
| Number of previous inpatient treatments, mean (SD) | 2.8 (4.0) |
| Number of previous treatment attempts, mean (SD) | 4.2 (5.1) |
| Concomitant substance use disorders | |
| Multiple substance dependence, n (%) | 45 (69.2) |
| Tobacco dependence, n (%) | 59 (90.8) |
| Alcohol dependence, n (%) | 43 (66.1) |
| Marijuana dependence, n (%) | 8 (12.3) |
| Alcohol-positive breath sample, n (%) | 11 (16.9) |
| THC-positive urine sample, n (%) | 2 (3.1) |
| Psychiatric symptomatology and impulsivity | |
| At least one psychotic symptom, n (%) | 30 (46.1) |
| BDI-II score, mean (SD) | 24.5 (12.1) |
| Mild depression, n (%) | 18 (27.7) |
| Moderate depression, n (%) | 19 (29.2) |
| Severe depression, n (%) | 22 (33.8) |
| BAI score, mean (SD) | 20.7 (13,5) |
| Mild anxiety, n (%) | 15 (23.1) |
| Moderate anxiety, n (%) | 15 (23.1) |
| Severe anxiety, n (%) | 22 (33.8) |
| BIS-11 score | |
| Total (overall impulsiveness), mean (SD) | 79.1 (5.9) |
| Attentional impulsiveness, mean (SD) | 22.1 (2.4) |
| Motor impulsiveness, mean (SD) | 27.4 (3.5) |
| Non-planning impulsiveness, mean (SD) | 29.7 (3.9) |
The Brazilian Economic Classification Criteria questionnaire (ABEP 2012) was used in order to stratify the participants by socioeconomic class—from A to E, class A being the highest and class E being the lowest.
A region of downtown São Paulo where thousands of crack users living under extremely vulnerable social conditions gather to consume crack openly in the streets.
THC = delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (the main active substance in marijuana); BDI-II = Beck Depression Inventory II; BAI = Beck Anxiety Inventory; BIS-11 = Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, version 11.