Abstract
Despite consistent evidence of gender differences in the nature of drug dependence, there has been little consideration of within-gender differences in the clinical presentation of drug-abusing women. In this study, cluster analysis and standardized ratings obtained from 153 women seeking methadone maintenance treatment were used to define four groups of women with different profiles of problem severity. The four clusters were characterized as Unemployed, Medically Ill, Psychiatrically Distressed, and Higher Functioning. When the validity of this four-cluster solution was examined, there were significant differences in the ethnic composition of the four groups, and the four clusters differed in terms of a) psychiatric status, b) medical status, c) vocational-educational history, d) lifetime history of maltreatment, and e) perception of social support available from friends and family. The findings suggest that, although understanding of gender differences cannot be ignored, understanding of ways women differ from one another may be as important in the development of gender-sensitive treatment programs.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 679-687 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease |
| Volume | 188 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| State | Published - 2000 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health
Cite this
Women in treatment : Within-gender differences in the clinical presentation of opioid-dependent women. / Mcmahon, Thomas J.; Luthar, Suniya.
In: Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, Vol. 188, No. 10, 2000, p. 679-687.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Women in treatment
T2 - Within-gender differences in the clinical presentation of opioid-dependent women
AU - Mcmahon, Thomas J.
AU - Luthar, Suniya
PY - 2000
Y1 - 2000
N2 - Despite consistent evidence of gender differences in the nature of drug dependence, there has been little consideration of within-gender differences in the clinical presentation of drug-abusing women. In this study, cluster analysis and standardized ratings obtained from 153 women seeking methadone maintenance treatment were used to define four groups of women with different profiles of problem severity. The four clusters were characterized as Unemployed, Medically Ill, Psychiatrically Distressed, and Higher Functioning. When the validity of this four-cluster solution was examined, there were significant differences in the ethnic composition of the four groups, and the four clusters differed in terms of a) psychiatric status, b) medical status, c) vocational-educational history, d) lifetime history of maltreatment, and e) perception of social support available from friends and family. The findings suggest that, although understanding of gender differences cannot be ignored, understanding of ways women differ from one another may be as important in the development of gender-sensitive treatment programs.
AB - Despite consistent evidence of gender differences in the nature of drug dependence, there has been little consideration of within-gender differences in the clinical presentation of drug-abusing women. In this study, cluster analysis and standardized ratings obtained from 153 women seeking methadone maintenance treatment were used to define four groups of women with different profiles of problem severity. The four clusters were characterized as Unemployed, Medically Ill, Psychiatrically Distressed, and Higher Functioning. When the validity of this four-cluster solution was examined, there were significant differences in the ethnic composition of the four groups, and the four clusters differed in terms of a) psychiatric status, b) medical status, c) vocational-educational history, d) lifetime history of maltreatment, and e) perception of social support available from friends and family. The findings suggest that, although understanding of gender differences cannot be ignored, understanding of ways women differ from one another may be as important in the development of gender-sensitive treatment programs.
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M3 - Article
VL - 188
SP - 679
EP - 687
JO - Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
JF - Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
SN - 0022-3018
IS - 10
ER -