Groundbreaking test predicts success of drug treatment

A groundbreaking study conducted by researchers from NUI Maynooth offers a breakthrough in the treatment of cocaine addiction.

The test, invented and developed by the university’s department of psychology, can predict whether a cocaine addict will attend treatment and how successful that treatment will be.

The success of the psychological test, known as the implicit relational assessment procedure, will have significant implications for the treatment of all substance abuse.

The collaborative study was directed by a team of international psychologists and published in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse.

NUI Maynooth professor of psychology Dermot Barnes-Holmes co-auth- ored the study with an international team that included psychologists from the state psychiatric institute at Columbia University in New York.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Professor Barnes-Holmes revealed that he was conducting a similar study among tobacco smokers.

“There are those who exhibit a more positive attitude towards their addiction and that sends a warning shot that they require additional support.”

The study, conducted at the research centre of the institute, involved a group of 25 cocaine addicts who were enrolled in a six month outpatient programme.

The participants were given questionnaires before treatment began which asked them to record their thoughts about cocaine craving and the consequences of cocaine use. They were also asked to complete the test and a drug stroop protocol, which measured their reaction times.

The study tested the relationships between the treatment outcome and the implicit and standard questionnaire assessments. The regular questionnaire failed to predict how well the participants would do in the treatment programme.

The psychological test, which measured reaction times to questions about cocaine, correctly predicted which of the group was likely to turn up for treatment and, if they did, whether their system would be free of the drug.

The test also identified participants’ implicit thoughts, feelings and beliefs that they might wish to conceal. An ordinary questionnaire will not reflect these hidden thoughts because invariably people are not fully aware of them.

Discussing the study, Dermot Barnes-Holmes said: “Our system has far-reaching implications for the treatment of drug addiction.”

He added that beliefs of users about their drug habits appeared to have an impact on their treatment.