NCJ Number
180780
Date Published
1998
Length
19 pages
Annotation
Data from intake interviews in a large multisite prospective clinical epidemiological study were used to examine gender differences among women and men in drug treatment and among four different drug treatment modalities: short-term inpatient treatment, outpatient methadone treatment, outpatient treatment, and residential treatment.
Abstract
The data came from the Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Study conducted by Research Triangle Institute and funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Personal interviews took place between 1991 and 1993 with 10,010 persons ages 18 years or older in 96 drug treatment programs in 11 cities. Results revealed traditional gender differences with respect to age, education, and employment. The women were younger and less educated than the men and had been employed less prior to admission. In addition, some drug use patterns were similar, but men reported more alcohol use while women reported more daily use of cocaine. Women also reported more problems related to health and mental health. Women reported much greater proportions of past and current physical and sexual abuse as well. Moreover, women reported greater concerns about issues related to children, although both women and men reported concern about drug treatment affecting custody of children. Findings suggested that trends in managed care make it crucial to develop and test sensitive interventions that can efficiently address the differences among women and men entering different treatment modalities, because a better understanding of these differences is an important prerequisite for more effective treatment interventions that lead to positive and lasting outcomes. Tables and 39 references