Relationship between drug use and psychopathological variables of risk in university students / Relaciones entre el consumo de drogas y variables de riesgo psicopatológicas en jóvenes universitarios

Background: Research has been studying the relationships between drug use and the risk of suffering psychopathological disorders. This study analyzed the relationships existing between this use and certain psychotic disorder risk variables: hallucination, schizotypy and cognitive fusion. Method: Several screening questionnaires on drug use (CAGE), a questionnaire on «cognitive fusion» (TAFS), another on hallucination proneness (LSHS-R) and another on schizotypy (O-LIFE-R) were given to a sample of 308 students at the University of Almería with a mean age of 19.51 years (SD= 2.11). Results: The results found show how cognitive fusion is positively related to use of cannabis and cocaine, the scores on the schizotypy scale correlated positively with use of alcohol and cannabis, and the scores on a hallucination proneness correlated positively to use of cannabis. Regression equations were found that predicted the use of these substances from the variables of vulnerability to suffering from schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Conclusions: The results show an association between drug use and the risk variables studied (AU)

Antecedentes: la investigación ha venido estudiando las relaciones entre el consumo de sustancias y el riesgo de padecimiento de trastornos psicopatológicos. En este estudio se han analizado las relaciones existentes entre dicho consumo y determinadas variables de riesgo para los trastornos psicóticos: alucinaciones, esquizotipia y fusión cognitiva. Método: se administraron diversos cuestionarios de screening relativos al consumo de drogas (CAGE), un cuestionario de «fusión cognitiva» (TAFS), otro de predisposición a las alucinaciones (LSHS-R) y otro de esquizotipia (O-LIFE-R), a una muestra de 308 estudiantes universitarios de la Universidad de Almería, con una media de edad de 19,51 años (DT= 2,11). Resultados: los resultados hallados muestran cómo la fusión cognitiva se relaciona positivamente con el consumo de cannabis y cocaína; cómo las puntuaciones en la escala de esquizotipia correlacionan positivamente con el consumo de alcohol y cannabis y cómo las puntuaciones en una escala de predisposición a las alucinaciones correlaciona positivamente con el consumo de cannabis. Se establecieron ecuaciones de regresión que predecían el consumo de dichas sustancias a partir de las variables de vulnerabilidad al padecimiento de trastornos del espectro esquizofrénico. Conclusiones: los resultados muestran una asociación entre el consumo de sustancias y las variables de riesgo estudiadas (AU)

Relationship between drug use and psychopathological variables of risk in university students.

BACKGROUND: Research has been studying the relationships between drug use and the risk of suffering psychopathological disorders. This study analyzed the relationships existing between this use and certain psychotic disorder risk variables: hallucination, schizotypy and cognitive fusion. METHOD: Several screening questionnaires on drug use (CAGE), a questionnaire on "cognitive fusion" (TAFS), another on hallucination proneness (LSHS-R) and another on schizotypy (O-LIFE-R) were given to a sample of 308 students at the University of Almeria with a mean age of 19.51 years (SD= 2.11). RESULTS: The results found show how cognitive fusion is positively related to use of cannabis and cocaine, the scores on the schizotypy scale correlated positively with use of alcohol and cannabis, and the scores on a hallucination proneness correlated positively to use of cannabis. Regression equations were found that predicted the use of these substances from the variables of vulnerability to suffering from schizophrenia spectrum disorders. CONCLUSIONS: The results show an association between drug use and the risk variables studied.

Validity of the self-report on drug use by university students: Correspondence between self-reported use and use detected in urine / Validez del autoinforme del uso de drogas en estudiantes universitarios: correspondencia entre el autoinforme y el uso detectado en orina

The purpose of this work was to determine the validity of a self-report on recent drug use (cocaine and cannabis) in a sample of university students of both sexes and to explore the role of attitudes toward substance use as related to this report. The subjects (506) were volunteers aged 17-35 years (who received an economic incentive) recruited at the University of Almería (Spain). The results were analyzed on the basis of correspondence between the self-report of recent use and a urine test. Three logistic regression analyses between self-reported use and attitudes toward drugs were also performed. The results show that the convergent validity of the self-report of drug use and the urine test is quite satisfactory, with percentages of agreement varying from .89 to .98 and Kappa of .66 and .56 for cannabis and cocaine, respectively. Sensitivity of the self-report is 57.1% (cocaine) and 91.8% (cannabis), and specificity is 99.4% (cocaine) and 89.6% (cannabis). The differences found in correspondence between the two substances are discussed with regard to self-reported attitudes on drug use (AU)

El objetivo de este trabajo ha sido comprobar la validez del autoinforme del consumo reciente de drogas (cannabis y cocaína) en una muestra de jóvenes universitarios de ambos sexos y explorar el papel de las actitudes hacia el consumo en relación al informe de éste. Los sujetos (506) fueron voluntarios (recibiendo un incentivo económico) con edades entre 17-35 años, captados de la Universidad de Almería (España). Los resultados se analizaron a partir de las correspondencias entre el autoinforme del consumo reciente y el test de orina. También se realizaron tres análisis de regresión logística entre el consumo autoinformado y las actitudes hacia las drogas. Los resultados señalan que la validez convergente del autoinforme de consumo de drogas con el test de orina es bastante buena, con porcentajes de acuerdo que oscilan entre 0.89 y 0.98, y valores Kappa de 0.66 y 0.56 para el cannabis y cocaína, respectivamente. La sensibilidad del autoinforme es de 57.1% (cocaína) y 91.8% (cannabis), y la especificidad es de 99.4% (cocaína) y 89.6% (cannabis). Las diferencias encontradas en las correspondencias entre las dos sustancias se discuten en relación a las actitudes informadas por los sujetos en relación al consumo de drogas (AU)

Validity of the self-report on drug use by university students: correspondence between self-reported use and use detected in urine.

The purpose of this work was to determine the validity of a self-report on recent drug use (cocaine and cannabis) in a sample of university students of both sexes and to explore the role of attitudes toward substance use as related to this report. The subjects (506) were volunteers aged 17-35 years (who received an economic incentive) recruited at the University of Almería (Spain). The results were analyzed on the basis of correspondence between the self-report of recent use and a urine test. Three logistic regression analyses between self-reported use and attitudes toward drugs were also performed. The results show that the convergent validity of the self-report of drug use and the urine test is quite satisfactory, with percentages of agreement varying from .89 to .98 and Kappa of .66 and .56 for cannabis and cocaine, respectively. Sensitivity of the self-report is 57.1% (cocaine) and 91.8% (cannabis), and specificity is 99.4% (cocaine) and 89.6% (cannabis). The differences found in correspondence between the two substances are discussed with regard to self-reported attitudes on drug use.

Los efectos de la anfetamina administrada en el córtex prefrontal medial sobre las diferencias individuales en polidipsia inducida por programa / Individual differences on schedule-induced polydipsia: differential effects of prefrontal cortex amphetamine infusion

El objetivo de esta investigación fue determinar si la administración de anfetamina en el córtex prefrontal medial tendría un efecto diferente en los sujetos divididos en altos y bajos bebedores en la tarea de polidipsia inducida por programa. Los sujetos del experimento fueron ratas Wistar macho que fueron, en primer lugar, sometidas durante 20 días, a una tarea de polidipsia inducida por programa (PIP) según un programa de TiempoFijo 60 segundos (TF 60s). El paso por esta tarea permitió dividir a los sujetos en altos y bajos bebedores en función de si su media de consumo de agua estaba por encima o por debajo de la mediana del grupo, respectivamente. Posteriormente, los animales fueron canulados, y tras 10 días de recuperación de la bebida inducida, se les administró anfetamina en el córtex prefrontal medial. Los resultados indican la existencia de un efecto diferencialde la anfetamina sobre los animales altos y bajos bebedores. Estos resultados son discutidos sobre la hipótesis de un comportamiento diferencial del sistema dopaminérgico entre las dos poblaciones

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of amphetamine on rats classified in high and low drinkers in a schedule-induced polydipsia (SIP) task. First, male Wistar rats were submitted to a schedule-induced polydipsia (SIP) procedure for 20 days and divided in high and low drinkers if their average water intake was above or below the group median, respectively. Then subjects were submitted to surgery, and after 10 days of schedule-induced drinking recovery, amphetamine was administered in the medial prefrontal cortex. Results indicate a differential effect of amphetamine on high and low drinkers. Those results were discussed on the hypothesis of a different dopaminérgic function between high and low drinkers