Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, 110 Kastle Hall, Lexington, KY 40506-0044, USA.
Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, 110 Kastle Hall, Lexington, KY 40506-0044, USA; Department of Behavioral Science, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, 1100 Veterans Drive, Medical Behavioral Science Building Room 140, Lexington, KY 40536-0086, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, 3470 Blazer Parkway, Lexington, KY 40509-1810, USA.
Drug Alcohol Depend. 2017 Nov 1;180:223-226. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.08.020. Epub 2017 Sep 12.
Numerous studies in behavioral economics have demonstrated that individuals are more sensitive to the prospect of a loss than a gain (i.e., loss aversion). Although loss aversion has been well described in "healthy" populations, little research exists in individuals with substance use disorders. This gap is notable considering the prominent role that choice and decision-making play in drug use. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate loss aversion in active cocaine users.
Current cocaine users (N=38; 42% female) participated in this within-subjects laboratory pilot study. Subjects completed a battery of tasks designed to assess loss aversion for drug and non-drug commodities under varying risk conditions. Standardized loss aversion coefficients (λ) were compared to theoretically and empirically relevant normative values (i.e., λ=2).
Compared to normative loss aversion coefficient values, a precise and consistent decrease in loss aversion was observed in cocaine users (sample λ≈1). These values were observed across drug and non-drug commodities as well as under certain and risky conditions.
These data represent the first systematic study of loss aversion in cocaine-using populations and provide evidence for equal sensitivity to losses and gains or loss equivalence. Futures studies should evaluate the specificity of these effects to a history of cocaine use as well as the impact of manipulations of loss aversion on drug use to determine how this phenomenon may contribute to intervention development efforts.
行为经济学的众多研究表明，个体对损失的敏感程度高于对收益的敏感程度（即损失厌恶）。尽管损失厌恶在“健康”人群中已有很好的描述，但在物质使用障碍患者中研究甚少。鉴于选择和决策在药物使用中起着重要作用，这种差距是值得注意的。本初步研究旨在评估可卡因成瘾者的损失厌恶。
本研究纳入了 38 名当前可卡因使用者（42%为女性），进行了一项旨在评估在不同风险条件下对药物和非药物商品的损失厌恶的实验。将标准损失厌恶系数（λ）与理论和经验相关的标准值（即 λ=2）进行比较。
与损失厌恶标准系数值相比，可卡因使用者的损失厌恶明显下降（样本 λ≈1）。这些值在药物和非药物商品以及在确定和风险条件下都有观察到。
这些数据代表了对可卡因使用者中损失厌恶的首次系统研究，并提供了对损失和收益同等敏感或损失等效的证据。未来的研究应该评估这些效应对可卡因使用史的特异性，以及对损失厌恶的操纵对药物使用的影响，以确定这种现象如何有助于干预措施的发展。
