Substance abuse treatment entry, retention, and outcome in women: A review of the literature

Abstract

This paper reviews the literature examining characteristics associated with treatment outcome in women with substance use disorders. A search of the English language literature from 1975 to 2005 using Medline and PsycInfo databases found 280 relevant articles. Ninety percent of the studies investigating gender differences in substance abuse treatment outcomes were published since 1990, and of those, over 40% were published since the year 2000. Only 11.8% of these studies were randomized clinical trials. A convergence of evidence suggests that women with substance use disorders are less likely, over the lifetime, to enter treatment compared to their male counterparts. Once in treatment, however, gender is not a significant predictor of treatment retention, completion, or outcome. Gender-specific predictors of outcome do exist, however, and individual characteristics and treatment approaches can differentially affect outcomes by gender. While women-only treatment is not necessarily more effective than mixed-gender treatment, some greater effectiveness has been demonstrated by treatments that address problems more common to substance-abusing women or that are designed for specific subgroups of this population. There is a need to develop and test effective treatments for specific subgroups such as older women with substance use disorders, as well as those with co-occurring substance use and psychiatric disorders such as eating disorders. Future research on effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of gender-specific versus standard treatments, as well as identification of the characteristics of women and men who can benefit from mixed-gender versus single-gender treatments, would advance the field.

Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Depression in Relation to Alcohol-Use and Alcohol-Related Problems among Canadian Forces Veterans

“…Given that neither symptoms of PTSD nor depression accounted for significant variance among quantityfrequency of alcohol use or alcohol-related problems, future research may benefit from investigating other factorssuch as family or spousal support, family history of alcoholrelated problems, social stigma, and sex discrimination-all of which have been shown to be related to alcohol misuse among women. 55 Further study is needed in this area given evidence suggesting women may perceive less need for, and are less aware of, substance abuse treatment options. 55 Consistent with previous reports, 20 results were interpreted to suggest that there was a significant relation between depressive symptoms and alcohol misuse among male veterans.…”

“…55 Further study is needed in this area given evidence suggesting women may perceive less need for, and are less aware of, substance abuse treatment options. 55 Consistent with previous reports, 20 results were interpreted to suggest that there was a significant relation between depressive symptoms and alcohol misuse among male veterans. These results extend previous research by qualifying this relation such that it extends to both quantityfrequency of alcohol consumption as well as alcoholrelated problems.…”

Especificidades do tratamento de mulheres usuárias de crack: interface com direitos humanos

“…A faixa etária de mulheres jovens usuárias de crack também deve ser considerada, tendo em vista que um estudo de revisão evidenciou que mulheres usuárias de droga diminuem a busca pelo tratamento no decorrer da vida (Greenfield et al, 2007 dos realizados com mulheres usuárias de crack (Bastos & Bertoni, 2014;Cruz et al, 2014). Para a Associação Americana de Psiquiatria, a baixa escolaridade é um fator de risco para o uso de crack em mulheres (American Psychiatric Association, 2014).…”

Suicide attempts in women: data from a toxicological assistance center in Parana

“…4 Assim, a melhora na detecção e o manejo dos transtornos psiquiátricos na atenção são passos importantes na prevenção do suicídio, porém no Brasil há carência de serviços especializados no atendimento à saúde mental da mulher, pouco treinamento dos profissionais da saúde e escassez na produtividade de pesquisas. 23 O uso do domicílio como local para a TS pode sugerir a desestruturação familiar e conflitos intrafamiliares, situação frequente em lares de indivíduos que atentam contra a própria vida. Também como importante fator potencializador, a recorrência de TS entre as mulheres pode ter retorno positivo em termos de pedido de socorro e/ou mudança de ambiente, o que encorajaria a repetição do ato.…”