Abstract
The authors evaluated the psychometric properties of a 33-item Likert-scale questionnaire assessing subcomponents of craving in 77 crack-cocaine abusers. Split-half and test-retest correlations were moderate to strong, indicating good internal reliability. High correlations with traditional visual analog scale measures of drug thoughts and cravings (but not other symptoms) support the questionnaire's validity as a measure of subjective craving. An exploratory factor analysis indicated that craving in these treatment-seeking crack-cocaine abusers is motivated both by the positive reinforcing properties of cocaine and by seeking relief from negative symptoms. A previous study using a similar questionnaire found that craving in non-treatment-seeking drug users was motivated primarily by the desire and intention to use cocaine. The results support the notion that subcomponents of craving exist and may vary with motivational state (i.e., those in treatment vs. non-treatment-seekers).