Gender Differences Among In- and Out-of-Treatment Opioid-Addicted Individuals.
OBJECTIVE
Gender differences were explored among 355 in- and out-of-treatment opioid-addicted adults in Baltimore.


METHODS
Addiction Severity Index and other variables were compared among: 1) in-treatment women vs. out-of-treatment women; 2) out-of-treatment: women vs. men; and, 3) in-treatment: women vs. men.


RESULTS
Analysis indicated that in-treatment and out-of-treatment women worked less and used more cocaine than their male counterparts (ps < .01). Moreover, out-of-treatment women used heroin and cocaine more often, spent more money on drugs, earned more illegal income, and had fewer treatments than in-treatment women (ps < or = .01).


CONCLUSIONS
Findings indicate greater severity of drug and employment problems of opioid-addicted women and underline the need for gender-specific drug-treatment services.
Kelly
Sharon M
SM
Social Research Center, Friends Research Institute, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, USA. skelly@frisrc.org
Schwartz
Robert P
RP
O'Grady
Kevin E
KE
Mitchell
Shannon Gwin
SG
Reisinger
Heather Schacht
HS
Peterson
James A
JA
Agar
Michael H
MH
Brown
Barry S
BS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015142:Baltimore; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation; D003415:Crime / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000150:complications / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008691:Methadone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012727:Sex Characteristics
D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D008691:Methadone