Could sluggish cognitive tempo be a risk factor for methamphetamine use disorder?

Methamphetamine use has risen significantly in the past decade. Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (SCT) is characterized by behaviors like excessive daydreaming, mental wandering, confusion, lethargy, and drowsiness. This study compares SCT during abstinence in individuals with methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) to the general population. The study included 66 patients with MUD who completed at least 2 weeks of detoxification and had no other psychiatric diagnoses, and 49 healthy individuals with similar sociodemographic characteristics. Sociodemographic Data Form, SCT evaluation scale and the Brief Functionality Form (BFF) were administered to both patient and control groups, and Addiction Profile Index (API) applied to the patient group. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 25. The SCT scores of the patient group (32.15 ± 12.298) were significantly higher than the scale scores of the control group (20.04 ± 7.303) (<i>p</i> &lt; .001). Only the SCT value had a significant effect on the API value (<i>p</i> = .001) in the linear regression model, and each 1 unit increase in the SCT value caused a 0.089 unit increase in the API value. The SCT score was significantly higher in individuals with MUD. SCT might predict addiction severity, suggesting self-medication as a motivation for addiction in this group.

过去十年间，甲基苯丙胺（methamphetamine）的使用情况显著上升。迟缓认知气质（Sluggish Cognitive Tempo, SCT）以过度白日做梦、精神游离、意识模糊、倦怠嗜睡等行为为特征。本研究对比了符合甲基苯丙胺使用障碍（methamphetamine use disorder, MUD）诊断、且完成至少2周脱毒治疗、无其他精神疾病诊断的人群，与社会人口学特征匹配的健康对照人群在脱戒期间的SCT水平。本研究共纳入66名符合上述标准的MUD患者，以及49名社会人口学特征相似的健康个体。研究向患者组与对照组均施测了社会人口学问卷、SCT评定量表及简明功能量表（Brief Functionality Form, BFF）；同时针对患者组，采用成瘾概况指数（Addiction Profile Index, API）进行评估。统计分析采用SPSS 25.0版本完成。患者组的SCT得分（32.15±12.298）显著高于对照组（20.04±7.303），差异具有统计学意义（*p*<0.001）。在线性回归模型中，仅SCT值对API值存在显著影响（*p*=0.001），且SCT值每升高1个单位，API值将升高0.089个单位。本研究结果显示，MUD患者的SCT得分显著更高；SCT或可预测成瘾严重程度，提示自我药疗可能是该群体成瘾的动机之一。