title: Sociocultural context for sex differences in addiction.
abstract: In this review, we discuss the importance of investigating both sex and gender differences in addiction and relapse in studies of humans and in animal models. Addiction is both a cultural and biological phenomenon. Sex and gender differences are not solely determined by our biology, nor are they entirely cultural; they are interactions between biology and the environment that are continuously played out throughout development. Lessons from the historical record illustrate how context and attitudes affect the way that substance use in men and women is regarded. Finally, cultural and environmental influences may differentially affect men and women, and affect how they respond to drugs of abuse and to treatment protocols. We recommend that both animal models and clinical research need to be developed to consider how contextual and social factors may influence the biological processes of addiction and relapse differentially in men and women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and the Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Jill B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.affiliation: Department of History and the Residential College, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McClellan
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work and the Department of Women's Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Beth Glover
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Reed
mesh_terms: D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012737:Sex Factors; D012919:Social Behavior; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: Animal models; cultural influences; gender; sex differences