Elsevier

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

Volume 44, Issue 1, 10 January 1997, Pages 35-40
Drug and Alcohol Dependence

Gender differences in cocaine dependent patients: a 6 month follow-up study

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0376-8716(96)01319-1Get rights and content

Abstract

This 6-month follow-up study compared 64 men and 37 women hospitalized for cocaine dependence. Drug histories, sociodemographic characteristics, psychiatric diagnoses, and Addiction Severity Index (ASI) scores were compared during hospitalization; cocaine use and ASI scores were compared at 6 months. During hospitalization, women had significantly more severe family and social problems; men had more antisocial personality disorder. At follow-up, significantly more women had remained abstinent; family/social problem severity no longer differed. This replicates previous research showing better treatment outcome for cocaine dependent women. This may be related to specific characteristics of women who enter mixed-gender cocaine treatment programs.

References (22)

  • M.L. Griffin et al.

    A comparison of male and female cocaine abusers

    Arch. Gen. Psychiatry

    (1989)
  • Cited by (114)

    • Gender differences in clinical outcomes for cocaine dependence: Randomized clinical trials of behavioral therapy and disulfiram

      2014, Drug and Alcohol Dependence
      Citation Excerpt :

      An RCT (350M, 104F, 5 sites) comparing manual-guided psychotherapies (individual or group drug counseling, cognitive therapy, supportive expressive therapy) found no gender or gender-by-treatment effects on cocaine use outcomes, but men transitioned between use and abstinence states (or vice versa) more frequently (Gallop et al., 2007). Following inpatient treatment for cocaine use wherein within-treatment abstinence was ensured (64M, 37F), women were less likely than men to relapse to cocaine by 6-month follow-up (Weiss et al., 1997). However survey data from individuals who had undergone standard inpatient or outpatient treatment (i.e., not an RCT) (65M, 29F) found no gender differences in cocaine use outcomes at one year follow-up (McCance-Katz et al., 1999).

    • Testosterone is essential for cocaine sensitization in male rats

      2011, Physiology and Behavior
      Citation Excerpt :

      In other areas of study, the differences between sexes are more consistent, such as the increased reactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to cocaine in females [14,16]. Gender differences have also been reported in the rate of developing dependence once exposed to cocaine [17,18], as well in the response to treatment [17,19,20]. These gender differences appear to be independent of drug pharmacokinetics [10–12].

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text