THE ROLE OF SPOUSES OF SUBSTANCE-ABUSERS IN TREATMENT - GENDER DIFFERENCES

Studies exploring gender differences among substance abusers in treatm ent have been fairly consistent in finding that females who enter trea tment express more severe psychological and psychosocial disturbances than males, despite presenting with shorter and less intense substance abuse histories. However, strands of evidence suggest that the presen ce of a spouse, generally perceived as an asset in the treatment of th e substance abuser, may have different implications for females than f or males. In order to clarify this issue, 67 male and 18 female marrie d substance abusers in treatment and their spouses were questioned on their substance use and psychological and social functioning. Similar to other studies, the female substance abusers reported greater distur bance on dimensions of employment and psychological functioning, but l ess severity of alcohol abuse. Comparison of male and female spouses, however, revealed that male spouses were likely to present with the fo llowing characteristics: (1) more symptoms of substance abuse and depr ession, (2) less overall physical well-being, and (3) to be less incli ned to help others or be involved with their children than the female spouses. These findings are consistent with the view that the process of substance abuse is telescoped in females and is associated with mor e disturbed functioning in women on admission to treatment than in men . However, contextual differences-specifically in terms of availabilit y of spousal support-may contribute significantly both to the understa nding of differences in female versus male substance abusers in treatm ent as well as to the development of guidelines for adapting treatment based on gender.