The Obsessive-Compulsive Cocaine Scale (OCCS): A Pilot Study of a New Questionnaire for Assessing Cocaine Craving

International audienceThis study aimed to develop a scale (Obsessive-Compulsive Cocaine Scale [OCCS]) for measuring cocaine craving based on the Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS). We tested the scale on 116 French-speaking cocaine users. The scale was reliable (Cronbach's α= 0.93). It was significantly correlated with a visual analogue scale of craving (r = 0.641, p textless .001) and discriminated between cocaine-dependant subjects (score 36 ± 11) and abusers (score 17 ± 9, p textless .001). Prospective tests on a sample of 20 subjects showed that the OCCS score changed over 3 weeks of treatment and was significantly correlated with the visual analogue scale of craving (r = 0.492, p = .038). Principal component analysis identified three factors: resistance, intensity, and interference. The OCCS questionnaire could be used to repeatedly assess cocaine craving in prospective studies in cocaine addicts. (Am J Addict 2012;00:1-7)