Initial validation of the Voris cocaine craving scale: A preliminary report

Although cocaine craving can persist for weeks after the last use and is thought to play a role in future relapses, few short, reliable, and valid instruments exist to measure craving. Therefore, we wished to examine the validity of the 4‐item Voris Cocaine Craving Scale (VCCS), which was previously found reliable. A consecutive series of 41 recently withdrawn cocaine‐dependent patients completed the 4‐item VCCS and the Cocaine Craving Questionnaire (CCQ), which was used as the criterion measure. The VCCS items 1 “craving,” 2 “mood,” and 3 “health” were significant and highly correlated with the CCQ total craving score. The VCCS may prove to be useful in future outcome studies involving cocaine craving and in routine clinical treatment. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Clin Psychol 55: 135–139, 1999.