title: Sex differences in drug use among polysubstance users.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Available evidence indicates women with substance use disorders may experience more rapid progression through usage milestones (telescoping). The few investigations of sex differences in treatment-seeking populations often focus on single substances and typically do not account for significant polysubstance abuse. The current study examined sex differences in a heterogeneous sample of treatment seeking polysubstance users. We examined patterns of drug use, age at drug use milestones (e.g., initial use, regular use), and progression rates between milestones. Nicotine and alcohol use were also evaluated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants (n = 543; 288 women) completed personal histories of substance use, including chronicity, frequency, and regularity, as well as inventories assessing affect, and intellectual ability.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Rates of drug use and milestone ages varied by sex and specific drug. Analyses suggested pronounced telescoping effects for pain medication and marijuana, with women progressing more rapidly through usage milestones.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data were generally supportive of telescoping effects, although considerable variance in progression measures was noted. The contrast between the marked telescoping observed in pain medication use and the absence of telescoping in other opioids was of particular interest. The discrepancy in telescoping effects, despite shared pharmacologies, suggests the need for further work examining underlying psychosocial factors. These results highlight that the specific sample population, substance, and outcome measure should be carefully considered when interpreting sex differences in substance use.
authors.affiliation: University of Florida, Department of Psychiatry, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA. Electronic address: benlewis@ufl.edu.
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.affiliation: University of Florida, Department of Psychiatry, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
authors.forename: Lauren A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.affiliation: University of Florida, Department of Psychiatry, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
authors.forename: Sara Jo
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Nixon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers / Q000639:trends*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Drug use; Polysubstance use; Sex differences; Telescoping