Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Women and Families

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Social Work Practice in the Addictions

Part of the book series: Contemporary Social Work Practice ((Contemp. Social Work Practice))

  • 4024 Accesses

Abstract

Despite their greater frequency in men, alcohol and drug use problems are significant among women. This chapter discusses addiction and associated problems specific to women. Treatment admissions data suggest that women were about half as likely to be admitted to treatment for drug or alcohol problems, although the relative proportion of male-to-female admissions varies considerable by specific type of substance. Women’s chemical dependency is more often initiated in response to a stressful life event. Research has accumulated that shows that women entering treatment for drug or alcohol dependence are likely to have experienced childhood and/or adult interpersonal victimization. Consumption of alcohol during pregnancy can result in a range of effects on the fetus, the most serious being fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). One of the major consequences of substance abuse for women is impaired parenting. Issues of cultural diversity, treatment and best practice guidelines for providing services for women who abuse or are dependent on substances is outlined and discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    However, for some substances such as non-prescribed pain killers, adolescent girls are initiating their use at about the same age or even younger ages than males (SAMHSA, 2010).

  2. 2.

    See Chap. 3 in Substance abuse treatment: Addressing the Specific Needs of Women (CSAT, 2009) for an excellent summary of research on gender differences in effects of drugs and alcohol.

References

  • Amaro, H., & Hardy-Fanta, C. (1995). Gender relations in addiction and recovery. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 27, 325–337.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, IV-TR. Washington, DC: APA.

    Google Scholar 

  • American Society of Addiction Medicine. (2001). Patient placement criteria for the treatment of substance-related disorders: ASAM PPC-2R (2nd revised ed.). Chevy Chase, MD: American Society of Addiction Medicine.

    Google Scholar 

  • Babor, T. F., & Grant, M. (1989). From clinical research to secondary prevention: International collaboration in the development of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Alcoholism and Health Research World, 13, 371–374.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brady, T. M., & Ashley, O. S. (Eds.). (2005). Women in substance abuse treatment: Results from the Alcohol and Drug Services Study (ADSS). DHHS Publication No. SMA 04-3968, Analytic Series A-26. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brecht, M., O’Brien, A., von Mayrhauser, C., & Anglin, M. D. (2004). Methamphetamine use behaviors and gender differences. Addictive Behaviors, 29, 89–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J. A., & Hohman, M. (2006). Impact of methamphetamine use on parenting. Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 6, 63–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, P., Stout, R., & Mueller, T. (1996). Post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse relapse among women: A pilot study. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 10, 124–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. (1997). Substance abuse treatment and domestic violence. Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 25. HHS Publication No. SMA 97-3163. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

    Google Scholar 

  • Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. (2003). Helping yourself heal: A recovering woman’s guide to coping with childhood abuse issues. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 03-3789. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

    Google Scholar 

  • Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. (2009). Substance abuse treatment: Addressing the specific needs of women. Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 51. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 09-4426. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Found at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK26118/.

  • Comfort, M., & Kaltenbach, K. A. (1996). The psychosocial history: An interview for pregnant and parenting women in substance-abuse treatment and research. In E. Rahdert (Ed.), Treatment for drug-exposed women and children: Advances in research methodology. NIDA Research Monograph 165. Rockville, MD: National Institute of Drug Abuse.

    Google Scholar 

  • Connell-Carrick, K. (2007). Methamphetamine and the changing face of child welfare: Practice principles for child welfare workers. Child Welfare, 86, 125–141.

    Google Scholar 

  • Conners, N. A., Bradley, R. H., Mansell, L. W., Liu, J. Y., Roberts, T. J., Burgdorf, K., et al. (2004). Children of mothers with serious substance abuse problems: Accumulation of risks. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 30(1), 85–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Covington, S. S. (2008). Helping women recover: A program for treating addiction. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Finkelstein, N. (1994). Treatment issues for alcohol- and drug-dependent pregnant and parenting women. Health and Social Work, 19, 7–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenfield, S. F., Brooks, A. J., Gordon, S. M., Green, C. A., Kropp, F., McHugh, K., et al. (2007). Substance abuse treatment entry, retention, and outcome in women: A review of the literature. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 86, 1–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grella, C. E., Hser, Y., & Huang, Y. (2006). Mothers in substance abuse treatment: Differences in characteristics based on involvement in child welfare services. Child Abuse & Neglect, 30, 55–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hien, D. A., Nunes, E., Levin, F. R., & Fraser, D. (2000). Posttraumatic stress disorder and short-term outcome in early methadone treatment. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 19, 31–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kandel, D. B., Warner, L. A, & Kessler, R. C. (1998). The epidemiology of substance use and dependence among women. C. L. Wetherington, & A. B. Roman (Eds.), Drug addiction research and the health of women (pp. 105–130). Washington, DC: National Institute of Drug Abuse.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kang, S.-Y., Magura, S., Laudet, A., & Whitney, S. (1999). Adverse effect of child abuse victimization among substance-using women in treatment. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 14, 657–670.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C., Crum, R. M., Warner, L. A., Nelson, C. B., Schulenberg, J., & Anthony, J. C. (1997). Lifetime co-occurrence of DSM-III-R alcohol abuse and dependence with other ­psychiatric disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey. Archives of General Psychiatry, 54, 313–321.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kilpatrick, D. G., Acierno, R., Resnick, H. S., Saunders, B. E., & Best, C. L. (1997). A 2-year longitudinal analysis of the relationships between violent assault and substance use in women. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65, 834–847.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knight, K., Simpson, D. D., & Hiller, M. L. (2002). Screening and referral for substance abuse treatment in the criminal justice system. In C. G. Leukefeld, F. M. Tims, & D. Farabee (Eds.), Treatment of drug offenders: Policies and issues (pp. 259–272). New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Magura, S., & Laudet, A. (1996). Parental substance abuse and child maltreatment: Review and implications for intervention. Child and Youth Services Review, 18, 193–220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McMahon, T. J., & Luthar, S. S. (1998). Bridging the gap for children as their parents enter substance abuse treatment. In R. L. Hampton, V. Senatore, & T. P Gullotta (Eds.), Substance abuse, family violence, and child welfare: Bridging perspectives (pp. 143–187). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Najavits, L. M. (2002a). A woman’s addiction workbook: Your guide to in-depth healing. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Najavits, L. M. (2002b). Seeking safety: A treatment manual for PTSD and substance abuse. New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson-Zlupko, L., Dore, M. M., Kauffman, E., & Kaltenbach, K. (1996). Women in recovery: Their perceptions of treatment effectiveness. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 13(1), 51–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reid, J. (1996). Substance abuse and the American woman. New York: The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Russell, M. (1994). New assessment tools for risk drinking during pregnancy: T-ACE, TWEAK, and others. Alcohol Health and Research World, 18, 55–61.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shannon, L., & Walker, R. (2008). Increasing the recognition of barriers for pregnant substance abusers seeking treatment. Substance Use & Misuse, 43, 1266–1267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies. (2004). National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS): 2003. Data on substance abuse treatment facilities. DASIS Series: S-24, DHHS Publication No. (SMA) 04-3966. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies. (2005). Treatment episode data set (TEDS)—Highlights, 2003. National admissions to substance abuse treatment services. DASIS Series S-27, DHHS Publication No. (SMA) 05-4043, Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies. (2009). Treatment episode data set (TEDS)—Highlights, 2007. National admissions to substance abuse treatment services. DASIS Series S-45, DHHS Publication No. (SMA) 09-4360, Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2010). Results from the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Vol. I. Summary of national findings. Office of Applied Studies, NSDUH Series H-38A, HHS Publication No. SMA 10-4586 Findings. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

    Google Scholar 

  • Szuster, R. R., Rich, L. L., Chung, A., & Bisconer, S. W. (1996). Treatment retention in women’s residential chemical dependency treatment: The effect of admission with children. Substance Use & Misuse, 31, 1001–1013.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tuten, M., & Jones, H. E. (2003). A partner’s drug-using status impacts women’s drug treatment outcome. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 70, 327–330.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wechsberg, W. M., Luseno, W., & Ellerson, R. M. (2008). Reaching women substance abusers in diverse settings: Stigma and access to treatment 30 years later. Substance Use & Misuse, 43, 1277–1279.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Bonnie Carlson

Authors
  1. Bonnie Carlson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bonnie Carlson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Saint Louis University, 3550 Lindell Boulevard, St. Louis, 63103, Missouri, USA

    Michael G. Vaughn

  2. University of Michigan, 1080 S. University Avenue, Ann Arbor, 48103, Michigan, USA

    Brian E. Perron

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Carlson, B. (2012). Women and Families. In: Vaughn, M., Perron, B. (eds) Social Work Practice in the Addictions. Contemporary Social Work Practice. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5357-4_12

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation