The Role of Perceived Belongingness to a Drug Subculture Among Opioid-Dependent Patients

Illicit drug use frequently occurs in a context of a drug subculture characterized by social ties with other drug users, feelings of excitement and effectiveness deriving from illicit activities, and alienation from mainstream society. Identification with this subculture is recognized anecdotally as a barrier to recovery, but clear quantification of individual differences in perceived belongingness to the drug subculture has been absent from the literature. The purpose of this study was to describe the development and psychometric properties of a brief self-report measure designed to assess this construct, the Belongingness to Drug Culture Questionnaire (BDCQ). Ninety-six opioid-dependent, methadone-maintained participants completed the BDCQ, related self-report measures, and assessment of drug use patterns. The BDCQ demonstrated high internal consistency (alpha = .88) and was significantly associated with self-reported days of drug use in the past 30 days, desire to quit, impulsivity, psychopathy, and social, enhancement, and coping drug use motives. These findings encourage continued psychometric evaluation of the BDCQ and study of the role of belongingness in the development and maintenance of substance use disorders.