Work

Men and women from the STRIDE clinical trial: An assessment of stimulant abstinence symptom severity at residential treatment entry

Year: 2015

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Gender-specific factors associated with stimulant abstinence severity were examined in a stimulant abusing or dependent residential treatment sample (N = 302). METHOD: Bivariate statistics tested gender differences in stimulant abstinence symptoms, measured by participant-reported experiences of early withdrawal. Multivariate linear regression examined gender and other predictors of stimulant abstinence symptom severity. RESULTS: Women compared to men reported greater stimulant abstinence symptom severity. Anxiety disorders and individual anxiety-related abstinence symptoms accounted for this difference. African American race/ethnicity was predictive of lower stimulant abstinence severity. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Women were more sensitive to anxiety-related stimulant withdrawal symptoms. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: Clinics that address anxiety-related abstinence symptoms, which more commonly occur in women, may improve treatment outcome.

Source: American Journal on Addictions

DOI: 10.1111/ajad.12190