Social skills in crack users: differences between men and women

Abstract

Low levels of social skills in drug users are reported in the literature. However, specific characteristics of these users need to be identified and comprehended. Thus, we aim to evaluate and compare the social skills of men and women crack users and to determine the existence or not of differences in these behaviors. A cross-sectional, quantitative, and comparative research was performed. A total of 127 (65 men and 62 women) crack users in treatment for drug use participated in the study. Results demonstrate significantly higher averages of social skills among women than among men in the total score (t = 2.020; p = 0.046), self-assertion in the expression of positive affect (t = 2.755; p = 0.007), and conversation and social confidence (t = 2.101; p = 0.038). In conclusion, there is a unique repertoire of social skills in men and women in this study, showing that among men crack users, there were greater difficulties in the expression of positive feelings and social confidence, while there was more difficulty in expressing unpleasantness and dealing with negative feelings among women. Thus, this study emphasizes the importance of the development of interventions focused on learning and improving social skills for the crack user population, considering the differences between men and women.

A scoping review of men, masculinities, and smoking behavior: The importance of settings

“…That some men perceived smoking as a part of their coping strategies for stress reduction [55] supports their traditional beliefs about masculine characteristics of not requesting help from others, keeping their emotions stable, while expanding and maintaining their social networks. Both smoking initiation and maintenance were also perceived as a way of alleviating stress among individuals during men's early adulthood [26,28], indicating unhealthy coping strategies.…”

“…Similarly, Andretta et al [55] reported low social skills among drug users, with men's social interaction skills significantly lower in comparison to women. This highlights the need for studies on smoking among men to include aspects of social skills, to determine which operate to encourage or discourage smoking within different cultural settings, as a preliminary round to develop more nuanced interventions incorporating the enhancement of men's social skills.…”

Social skills training for drug users under treatment: a pilot study with follow-up

“…Another limit of the study is that the sample is composed only of males. A study with 127 participants (Andretta et al, 2016) demonstrated there were differences between social skills of male and female crack users, where males presented greater difficulties. It should be stressed that social skills are performed according to their cultural context of origin, indicating that both the treatment of female drug users and social skills training need to consider the cultural specificities of female roles, rather than just replicate studies with males (Limberger, Schneider, & Andretta, 2015).…”

Development of Social Skills in Female Crack Users: Multiple Case Study

“…Thus, someone who presents aggressiveness can fi nd it easy to communicate with strangers, and this resource can be worked with when identifi ed in the social skills instruments available. The need for focused interventions aimed at increasing the social skills of female crack users is therefore emphasized, especially skills that relate to self-control, denial and establishing links with people outside the drug use environment (Andretta et al, 2016). With this, there will be contributions to satisfactory interactions between professionals and patients, as well as between the patients themselves, so that they feel more willing to participate in therapeutic groups and feel free to make requests and express their doubts about the treatment.…”