It is important to tailor treatment approaches based on gender identification since different genders have specific needs that need to be addressed using different treatment interventions (Guimarães et al., 2017). Gender differences that may influence the outcome of similar treatment interventions include the presence of certain hormones that may require specialized treatment interventions for women, psychiatric commodity, cognitive abilities, and emotions (Guimarães et al., 2017). Since there is no single treatment intervention that works for everyone due to personal differences, this also applies when implementing treatment interventions for different genders. Counselors need to identify the specific needs of a certain gender, as this will lead to an informed decision-making where a counselor selects the most effective treatment intervention based on gender aspects (Guimarães et al., 2017).
There are also unique problems that may affect a certain gender more than the other that a counselor needs to take into consideration. Research indicates women to progress more rapidly from substance use to treatment compared to men (Polak, Haug, Drachenberg, & Svikis, 2015). Women also experience complex side effects of substance abuse such as increased drug craving that contribute to a high rate of relapse compared to men. Ovarian hormones have been identified to contribute to addiction in female individuals with estrogen playing a key role in the transition from substance use to substance dependence (Polak et al., 2015). Women are also more sensitive to drug exposure than men making them more vulnerable to substance abuse.
Women have a high risk of relapse-due to the misuse of prescription drugs through self-medication to address pain or anxiety leading to dependence. On the other hand, men tend to abuse alcohol and other drugs due to peer pressure (Greenfield, 2016). Due to these differences, counselors need to tailor treatment approaches based on gender identification. This will enable the counselor to take into consideration some of the factors contributing to substance abuse as well as other factors that influence different genders to persist using drugs. This will enhance the outcome of the selected treatment interventions in either gender as well as prevent relapse (Greenfield, 2016).
References
- Greenfield, S. F. (2016). Treating women with substance use disorders: the women’s recovery group manual. New York: The Guilford Press.
- Guimarães, R.A., de Oliveira Landgraf de Castro, V., do Valle Leone de Oliveira, S.M., Stabile, A. C., Motta-Castro, A. R., dos Santos Carneiro, M. A., Araujo, L. A., Caetano, K. A., Andre de Matos, M., & Teles, S. A. (2017). Gender differences in patterns of drug use and sexual risky behaviour among crack cocaine users in Central Brazil. BMC Psychiatry, 17(1), 412. doi:10.1186/s12888-017-1569-7
- Polak, K., Haug, N. A., Drachenberg, H. E., & Svikis, D. S. (2015). Gender Considerations in Addiction: Implications for Treatment. Current treatment options in psychiatry, 2(3), 326–338. doi:10.1007/s40501-015-0054-5
