Attention assessment in cocaine users in Psychosocial Support Center

Abstract

Objective: to evaluate attentional impairment in cocaine users when compared to a control group, as well as identify and describe sociodemographic data, cocaine abuse and/or dependence in a sample of university students and patients of a Psychosocial Support Center. Method: a descriptive study with a quantitative approach. A total of 25 people participated in the research, 15 from the control group and ten from the experimental group. Instruments were used to measure attention (Psychological Battery for Attention Assessment) and the instrument to measure what types of substances had already been used by the subjects (Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test), outlining the research to be more objective. Results: attentional impairment caused by cocaine use was perceived in the user population compared to the control group. Conclusion: this study allows the possibility to reflect on the damage caused by the use of cocaine and opens new perspectives for the discovery of other harms of the use of the same drug.