Performance on the Stroop predicts treatment compliance in cocaine-dependent individuals.

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Streeter, Chris C; Terhune, Devin Blair; Whitfield, Theodore H; Gruber, Staci; Sarid-Segal, Ofra; Silveri, Marisa M; Tzilos, Golfo; Afshar, Maryam; Rouse, Elizabeth D; Tian, Hua; Renshaw, Perry F; Ciraulo, Domenic A and Yurgelun-Todd, Deborah A. 2008. Performance on the Stroop predicts treatment compliance in cocaine-dependent individuals. Neuropsychopharmacology, 33(4), pp. 827-836. ISSN 0893-133X [Article]

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Official URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/1301465

Abstract or Description

Treatment dropout is a problem of great prevalence and stands as an obstacle to recovery in cocaine-dependent (CD) individuals. Treatment attrition in CD individuals may result from impairments in cognitive control, which can be reliably measured by the Stroop color-word interference task. The present analyses contrasted baseline performance on the color-naming, word-reading, and interference subtests of the Stroop task in CD subjects who completed a cocaine treatment trial (completers: N=50) and those who dropped out of the trial before completion (non-completers: N=24). A logistic regression analysis was used to predict trial completion using three models with the following variables: the Stroop task subscale scores (Stroop model); the Hamilton depression rating scale (HDRS) scores (HDRS model); and both the Stroop task subscale scores and HDRS scores (Stroop and HDRS model). Each model was able to significantly predict group membership (completers vs non-completers) better than a model based on a simple constant (HDRS model p=0.02, Stroop model p=0.006, and Stroop and HDRS model p=0.003). Models using the Stroop preformed better than the HDRS model. These findings suggest that the Stroop task can be used to identify cocaine-dependent subjects at risk for treatment dropout. The Stroop task is a widely available, reliable, and valid instrument that can be easily employed to identify and tailor interventions of at risk individuals in the hope of improving treatment compliance.

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Article

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https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.npp.1301465