NCJ Number
196081
Journal
Drug and Alcohol Review Volume: 20 Issue: 4 Dated: December 2001 Pages: 369-383
Date Published
December 2001
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study examined gender-related symptoms and correlates of alcohol dependence.
Abstract
The aim was to examine gender differences in alcohol-related symptomatology, other substance use, psychiatric disorders, psychosocial stress, sensation seeking, and a history of substance use and mental health disorders in the family of origin. A cross-sectional study of 150 men and 150 women with a lifetime diagnosis of alcohol use disorders (AUD) was used. Participants were recruited from treatment settings, correctional centers, and the general community of Sydney, Australia. Standardized measures were used to determine participants’ use of substances, history of psychiatric disorders and psychological stress, their sensation seeking, and family history of substance use and mental health disorders. To detect patterns of variables associated with gender and the lifetime severity of AUD, multivariate analyses were used. Results show that men had a longer history of severe AUD than women did. Despite six fewer years of AUD, women had similar levels of alcohol dependence and medical and psychological continuation as men did. Women reached these same levels of dependence and consequences of drinking more rapidly than men. Results also show that more women than men had a history of severe psychosocial stress, severe dependence on other substances, and antecedent mental health problems, such as mood and anxiety disorders. There were differences in family history of alcohol-related problems approximating same-gender aggregation. Early age onset and the occurrence of other disorders, especially anxiety, predicted the severity of lifetime AUD. This was among both men and women. The generalizability of these findings is limited by the sampling strategy to treatment and correctional populations. 7 tables, 77 references