Predictors & Correlates of Polydrug & Non-polydrug Cocaine Use in Club Subcultures

Polydrug abuse among young adults has become of increasing concern. It has been linked to adverse health outcomes, such as drug overdose, increased risk of exposure to infectious diseases, such as HIV and HCV, drug dependence, and decreased cognitive functioning. Young adults involved in club subcultures who use drugs have been shown to tend towards patterns of polydrug abuse. We analyzed data from the Club Drugs & Health Project, a study designed to examine the patterns & contexts of club drug use among young adults. Four hundred recent users of club drugs were recruited through time-space sampling; 361 were recent cocaine users. Among recent cocaine users, 61.2% were recent polydrug users. We analyzed the differences between polydrug users and cocaine only users through ANOVA and Logistic Regression. Male gender was predictive of polydrug cocaine use (OR = 1.61). GLB sexual orientation, White race, and Non-Latino ethnicity were not predictive of cocaine polydrug use. No differences in depressive and anxiety symptomotology were found and nor were differences in stress or coping. However, polydrug users were significantly more likely (p<.05) to use drugs for reasons of unpleasant emotions, physical discomfort, and for pleasure seeking. Thus, although polydrug cocaine users in club subcultures are similar to their non-polydrug using counterparts in several ways, they are more likely to use drugs to deal with adverse issues such as unpleasant emotions and physical discomfort. Efforts to reduce such adverse issues may reduce the rates of polydrug use in this population.