Real-Time Electronic Diary Reports of Cue Exposure and Mood in the Hours Before Cocaine and Heroin Craving and Use

Abstract

The study of craving and lapse during attempts to quit smoking has been quietly revolutionized by the use of handheld data-collection devices that enable study participants to report, in real time, their activities and moods in their daily environments.¹ This methodology is referred to as experience sampling² or ecological momentary assessment (EMA).³ A personal digital assistant (PDA) (eg, PalmPilot) configured for use in EMA is called an electronic diary. Ecological momentary assessment comprises 2 complementary types of data collection. The first type occurs through random prompts, enabling assessment of the base rates of exposure to putative craving/lapse triggers, such as stressors and drug-associated cues.⁴ The second type of data collection is participant-initiated; participants are typically instructed to initiate an EMA entry immediately after each episode of craving or use. These event-driven data provide near–real-time self-reports of such episodes.