10. Effects of cocaine - Notes

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1. Cocaine users are probably as sensitive to folklore about this drug as both the public at large and as drug experts, this being above all true for ambiguous effects. A large group as the present sample at least has the advantage of speaking from first hand experience. A real validity check can only be realized in large longitudinal research projects with control groups, as has been undertaken for smokers. (See also .)
2. One of the characteristics of cocaine that is often mentioned in the literature (but rarely by users of any level), is cocaine's alleged power to make people `psychologically' dependent. The psychological dependency assumption logically implies that the proportion of ex-users among high level users would be significantly smaller than with the other groups. This is not the case in our sample.
3. A complete description of the Mokken-procedure can be found in , available at the Technical Center of the faculty of social sciences of the University of Amsterdam.
4. The level of significance used in this procedure was a=0.05. Reliability factors for the scales are: (scale 1) rho=0.91; (scale 2) rho=0.72; (scale 3)
5. On an individual level it might be possible that respondents have experienced both a positive and a negative effect of cocaine on their sexual experience, but this would more probably be a result of chance or very personal characteristics, than of a structural phenomenon
6. Dose, age, length of top period, education and frequency of use were defined ascending (high score means high dose, age, etc.). Gender high means female, steady partner high means having a steady partner.