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Women’s Use of Substance Use Disorder Treatment Services: Rates, Correlates, and Comparisons to Men

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Abstract

In spite of evidence of increasing prevalence of substance use disorders (SUDs) among women, there is little information on gender differences in SUD treatment use. Nationally representative survey data were used to compare specialized SUD treatment among women and men with past-year DSM-5 SUD diagnoses (N = 5,789, 42.8% women). An estimated 10.7% of women and 9.9% of men (p = 0.45) received SUD treatment. Those who received treatment among both men and women had more problems than others. Five variables were independently associated with receipt of past-year treatment in both women and men and while five others were independently associated with receipt of treatment for only one gender. Interaction analysis, however, revealed no statistically significant gender differences in any correlate of treatment receipt. Although men were more likely to have SUDs than women, there were no significant differences by gender in rates or correlates of service use.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, 950 Campbell Avenue, West Haven, CT, USA

    Caroline G. Falker, Elina A. Stefanovics & Robert A. Rosenheck

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, 300 George Street, Suite 901, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA

    Caroline G. Falker

  3. Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, 950 Campbell Avenue, CT, West Haven, USA

    Elina A. Stefanovics, Taeho Greg Rhee & Robert A. Rosenheck

  4. Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, 300 George Street, Suite 901, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA

    Elina A. Stefanovics, Taeho Greg Rhee & Robert A. Rosenheck

  5. Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, CT, USA

    Caroline G. Falker, Elina A. Stefanovics, Taeho Greg Rhee & Robert A. Rosenheck

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  1. Caroline G. Falker
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  2. Elina A. Stefanovics
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Correspondence to Robert A. Rosenheck.

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Falker, C.G., Stefanovics, E.A., Rhee, T.G. et al. Women’s Use of Substance Use Disorder Treatment Services: Rates, Correlates, and Comparisons to Men. Psychiatr Q 93, 737–752 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-022-09989-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-022-09989-0

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