Motivational assessment of non-treatment buprenorphine research participation in heroin dependent individuals
Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 06/12/2012
Papke G et al. – Heroin addicts’ self–motivations to engage in non–therapeutic research are complex – they value economic gain but not exclusively or primarily – and relate to variables such as socioeconomic factors and drug use.
Heroin dependent volunteers (N=235 total; 57 female and 178 male; 136 African American, 86 Caucasian, and 13 Other) applied for non-therapeutic buprenorphine research in an urban outpatient setting from 2004 to 2008.
The authors conducted a semi-structured behavioral economic interview, after which participants ranked 11 possible motivations for research participation.
Although the study was repeatedly described as non-treatment research involving buprenorphine, participants often ranked some treatment-related motivations as important (wanting to reduce/stop heroin use, needing a medication to get stabilized/detoxify).
Some motivations correlated with income, heroin use, and years since marketing of buprenorphine.
Two dimensions emerged from principal component analysis of motivation rankings: (1) treatment motivation vs. greater immediate needs and (2) commitment to trying alternatives vs. a more accepting attitude toward traditional interventions.
Heroin addicts’ self-motivations to engage in non-therapeutic research are complex – they value economic gain but not exclusively or primarily – and relate to variables such as socioeconomic factors and drug use.
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