Psychometric properties of the shortened Farsi version of the Food Cravings Questionnaire-Trait.

BACKGROUND: Food craving contributes to the incidence of weight and food-related disorders. Thus, an accurate measurement of food craving is important for clinical and research purposes. AIMS: We aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the shortened Farsi version of the Food Craving Questionnaire- Trait (FCQ-T-r), an internationally validated tool. METHODS: For this cross-sectional study, data was collected from 153 students of the University of Tehran between February and March 2019 using the Farsi version of FCQ-T-r; Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21); and the Quality of Life questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF). Confirmatory factor analysis using SPSS AMOS (version 21) failed to support the one-factor structure of FCQ-T-r in Farsi, so we conducted an exploratory factor analysis to investigate the factor structure of the questionnaire. RESULTS: Exploratory factor analysis reflected a 3-factor structure responsible 73.3% of the variance factor 1 "preoccupation with food", factor 2 "lack of control over eating" and factor 3 "emotional eating". Internal consistency of the FCQ-T-r was excellent (McDonald's ω = 0.950). The FCQ-T-r scores were correlated with body mass index, DASS-21, and WHOQOL-BREF values, which supports concurrent validity of the tool. CONCLUSION: The Farsi version of FCQ-T-r is a reliable and valid self-administrated tool to measure food craving traits among Iranian university students. Given the unstable factor structure of the questionnaire in different studies, further research should be conducted explore the factor structure of the tool.

Factors influencing engagement and utilisation of opium tincture-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder: A qualitative study in Tehran, Iran.

INTRODUCTION: In response to a high burden of opioid use disorder (OUD), Iran established a network of opioid agonist treatment (OAT) centres beginning in 2002. To increase treatment diversity, particularly for patients who use opium as their drug of choice, opium tincture (OT)-assisted treatment was introduced to the network. This study aimed to explore factors influencing OT-assisted treatment selection for OUD in Tehran, Iran. METHODS: We conducted 54 in-depth interviews with patients with OUD (n = 33), family members of patients (n = 9) and drug treatment providers (n = 12). Participants were recruited from 12 drug treatment centres across Tehran, between September and November 2019. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and coded in OpenCode 4.02 software and analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Study participants more commonly reported individual-level factors as facilitators (e.g. to reduce harms associated with illicit opioid use, achieve recovery through a gradual dose reduction regimen combined with Congress 60 recovery program) and structural level factors (e.g. low adoption by OAT system and lack of familiarity of treatment providers) as barriers for utilisation of OT-assisted treatment regimens. OT was perceived to produce lower levels of physiological dependence than methadone, but the requirement for twice supervised dosing was restrictive. Low familial and community acceptance were also seen as barriers to access. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: This research identified a range of perceived benefits for OT-assisted treatment ranging from harm reduction to an intermediate step to achieve recovery. However, several structural-, individual-, familial- and community-level barriers impede its availability and acceptability.

Cumulative and booster effects of tdcs sessions on drug cravings, lapse, and cognitive impairment in methamphetamine use disorder: A case study report.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation method, which shows promising therapeutic effects in controlling drug cravings. METHODS: In this study, we present cumulative and booster effects of tDCS sessions on methamphetamine cravings, lapse, and cognitive impairment in a methamphetamine dependent subject. RESULTS: Our study shows cumulative effects of continuous anodal tDCS sessions on right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) could reduce drug cravings and their consequences. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Moreover, booster tDCS treatments might be helpful in controlling psychological stress and drug cravings. (Am J Addict 2016;25:264-266).