The overall objective of the proposed study is to better understand relationships among negative life events and the moderating or exacerbating personality, coping, and social support processes which may mediate relapse proneness versus resitance among treated cocaine abusers during a post-treatment period. The study hypothesizes that return to abuse of cocaine (and other drugs) will vary according to: 1) the number, nature and perceived stressfulness of life situations or events encountered; 2) the amount of perceived social support and perceived satisfaction with such support; 3) the relative use of problem focused versus emotion focused coping responses in dealing with economic, work and relationship stressors; 4) interactions among negative life events, personality, coping and social support. The study will include 300 subjects recruited from two large addictions treatment programs in Miami, Florida. A series of measures of life events, personality, coping, social support and substance use will be collected at treatment completion, and at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months after treatment completion, to test the major hypotheses of this study. This investigation will test hypotheses derived from interrelated areas of stress, coping, social support and personality theory which appear useful in understanding processes which mediate relapse proneness versus resistance among cocaine abusers.
| McMahon, Robert C (2008) Substance abuse problems, psychiatric symptoms, and post-treatment status in MCMI psychopathology subgroups of cocaine dependent males. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse 34:195-202 |
| McMahon, R C; Malow, R; Loewinger, L (1999) Substance abuse history predicts depression and relapse status among cocaine abusers. Am J Addict 8:1-8 |
