Histories of abuse predict stronger within-person covariation of ovarian steroids and mood symptoms in women with menstrually related mood disorder Gender differences in first-episode psychosis at 5-year follow-up--two different courses of disease? Results from the OPUS study at 5-year follow-up. Gender differences in violent behaviors: relationship to clinical symptoms and psychosocial factors. Implementation and evaluation of a harm-reduction model for clinical care of substance using pregnant women Oral contraceptives, androgens, and the sexuality of young women: II. The role of androgens Preventing Drug Abuse Among Adolescent Girls: Outcome Data from an Internet-Based Intervention Gender differences in factors associated with adherence to antiretroviral therapy Substance use among a regional sample of female nurses. Males and females differ in response to opioid agonist medications. Gender and treatment response in substance use treatment-mandated parolees. Sex differences in acute hormonal and subjective response to naltrexone: The impact of menstrual cycle phase Gender differences in response to antipsychotic treatment in outpatients with schizophrenia Connecting the dots: Twenty-first century technologies to tackle twenty-first century challenges in early intervention Order of onset of drug use and criminal activities in a sample of drug-abusing women convicted of violent crimes. Is universal prevention against youths’ substance misuse really universal? Gender-specific effects in the EU-Dap school-based prevention trial Characteristics of subgroups of individuals with psychotic illness and a comorbid substance use disorder. Preventing substance use among adolescent girls: 1-year outcomes of a computerized, mother-daughter program.
OBJECTIVE Individual differences in sensitivity to cyclical changes in ovarian steroids estradiol ( E2 ) and progesterone ( P4 ) have been implicated in the pathophysiology of menstrually related mood disorder ( MRMD ) . However , no prospect i ve studies have investigated psychosocial risk factors for sensitivity to hormone effects on mood in MRMD . Using a repeated measures approach and multilevel models , we tested the hypothesis that a history of abuse provides a context in which within-person elevations of E2 and P4 prospect ively predict daily symptoms . METHOD 66 women with prospect ively-confirmed MRMD recruited for a trial of oral contraceptives provided  1 month of baseline hormone and mood data prior to r and omization . Lifetime physical and sexual abuse experiences were assessed . Across one cycle , women completed daily measures of symptoms and provided blood sample s on 5 days across the menstrual cycle . Current E2 and P4 were centered within person ( CWP ) such that higher values represented cyclical elevations in hormones . RESULTS Rates of physical ( 27 % ) and sexual ( 29 % ) abuse were high , consistent with previous work documenting a link between trauma and MRMD . In women with a history of physical abuse , cyclical increases in P4 predicted greater mood and interpersonal symptoms on the three days following that sample . In women with a history of sexual abuse , cyclical increases in E2 predicted greater anxiety symptoms on the three days following that sample . CONCLUSIONS Results inform further inquiry into the role of severe life stressors and stress response systems in MRMD . We discuss areas for future research on the psychosocial and physiological pathways through which abuse may influence the link between hormones and symptoms OBJECTIVE Gender differences in psychosis have been investigated , and the results have contributed to a better underst and ing of the disease , but many questions are unanswered . In clinical terms , women and men with psychosis differ in terms of access to social support , tendency of substance abuse , level of functioning and symptom patterns . We aim ed to investigate how gender differences at onset of psychosis develop during the first 5years of treatment . METHOD A total of 578 patients with a first-episode psychosis in the schizophrenia spectrum were included in the Danish OPUS trial -- a r and omized clinical trial comparing 2 years of intensive early-intervention programme with st and ard treatment . All patients were assessed with vali date d instruments at inclusion , and after 2 and 5 years . Data were analysed for significant gender differences . RESULTS Males have significantly higher levels of negative symptoms at all times , and are more likely to live alone and suffer from substance abuse . Females reach higher levels of social functioning at follow-up , and show a greater tendency to be employed or in education than males . Markedly more women than men live with children . More women than men reach a state of recovery and are more compliant with medication . CONCLUSION There are significant gender differences at 2- and 5-year follow-up in this large cohort of first-episode psychotic patients . Males and females show different symptomatology and different levels of social functioning OBJECTIVE Men are more violent than women in the general population , but this has not been found to be the case among psychiatric in patients . The reason for this exception is poorly understood . The present study investigated gender differences in violent behaviors among patients with major psychiatric disorders . It examined various clinical symptoms and psychosocial factors to determine their differential impact on violence in men and women . METHOD Physical assaults and verbal assaults committed by psychiatric in patients were recorded prospect ively . Patients whose violent incident occurred during their first 2 months of hospitalization were eligible for the study .  Patient history of community violence was also obtained .  Psychiatric symptoms  and  ward behaviors  were assessed upon entry into the study and after 4 weeks . RESULTS A similar percentage of women and men had an incident of physical assault in the hospital . Among the patients entered into the study , the women had a much higher level of verbal assaults throughout the evaluation period and a higher level of early physical assaults ( i.e. , within the first 10 days of the 4-week study period ) . Positive psychotic symptoms were more likely to result in assaults in women than in men . Physical assaults in the community , on the other h and , were more common in men and were associated with substance abuse , property crime , and a history of school truancy . CONCLUSIONS There are gender differences in the patterns of violent behavior among patients with major psychiatric disorders . Furthermore , psychiatric symptoms and psychosocial risk factors have a different impact on this behavior in men and women . This has important implication s for the prediction and differential treatment of violent behavior Background Methamphetamine ( MA ) use during pregnancy is associated with many pregnancy complications , including preterm birth , small for gestational age , preeclampsia , and abruption . Hawaii has lead the nation in MA use for many years , yet prior to 2007 , did not have a comprehensive plan to care for pregnant substance-using women . In 2006 , the Hawaii State Legislature funded a pilot perinatal addiction clinic . The Perinatal Addiction Treatment Clinic of Hawaii was built on a harm-reduction model , encompassing perinatal care , transportation , child-care , social services , family planning , motivational incentives , and addiction medicine . We present the implementation model and results from our first one hundred three infants ( 103 ) seen over 3 years of operation of the program . Methods Referrals came from community health centers , hospitals , addiction treatment facilities , private physician offices ,  homeless outreach services and self-referral through word-of-mouth and bus ads . Data to describe sample characteristics and outcome was obtained prospect ively and retrospectively from chart abstract ion and delivery data . Drug use data was obtained from the women 's self-report and r and om urine toxicology during the pregnancy , as well as urine toxicology at the time of birth on mothers , and urine and meconium toxicology on the infants . Post-partum depression was measured in mothers with the Edinburgh Post-Partum depression scale . Data from Path clinic patients were compared with a representative cohort of women delivering at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children during the same time frame , who were enrolled in another study of pregnancy outcomes . Ethical approval for this study was obtained through the University of Hawaii Committee for Human Studies . Results Between April 2007 and August 2010 , 213 women with a past or present history of addiction were seen , 132 were pregnant and 97 delivered during that time . 103 live-born infants were delivered . There were 3 first-trimester Spontaneous Abortions , two 28-week intrauterine fetal deaths , and two sets of twins and 4 repeat pregnancies . Over 50 % of the women had lost custody of previous children due to substance use . The majority of women who delivered used methamphetamine  ( 86 % ) , either in the year before pregnancy or during pregnancy . Other drugs include marijuana ( 59.8 % ) , cocaine ( 33 % ) , opiates ( 9.6 % ) , and alcohol ( 15.2 % ) . Of the women served , 85 % smoked cigarettes upon enrollment . Of the 97 women delivered during this period , all but 4 ( 96 % ) had negative urine toxicology at the time of delivery . Of the 103 infants , 13 ( 12.6 % ) were born preterm , equal to the state and national average , despite having many risk factors for prematurity , including poverty , poor diet , smoking and polysubstance use . Overwhelmingly , the women are parenting their children , > 90 % retained custody at 8 weeks . Long-term follow-up showed that women who maintained custody chose  long-acting contraceptive methods ;  while those who lost custody had a very high ( > 50 % ) repeat pregnancy rate at 9 months post delivery . Conclusion Methamphetamine use during pregnancy does n't exist is isolation . It is often combined with a multitude of other adverse circumstances , including poverty , interpersonal violence , psychiatric comorbidity , polysubstance use , nutritional deficiencies , inadequate health care and stressful life experiences . A comprehensive harm reduction model of perinatal care , which aims to ameliorate some of these difficulties for substance-using women without m and ating abstinence , provides exceptional birth outcomes and can be implemented with limited re sources The relationships between plasma free testosterone ( FT ) and measures of sexual attitude , sexual behavior , and gender role behavior were assessed in 55 oral contraceptive-using and 53 nonusing female undergraduates .  Plasma FT and other measures of and rogenicity were substantially lower in the oral contraceptive ( OC ) group . Correlations between FT and certain behavioral and attitudinal measures were found in the OC users but not the nonusers . In the OC users , FT was positively associated with frequency of sexual intercourse but not with frequency of masturbation . It was negatively associated with restrictive sexual morality . Correlations between FT and measures of gender role behavior were negligible , and FT was unrelated to proceptivity , homosexual interest , or the use of sexual fantasy . The occurrence of some predicted correlations among pill-using women but not the nonusers requires explanation , particularly in view of the substantially lower levels of FT in the pill-using group . It is suggested that and rogen — behavior relationships in women are easily obscured by psychosocial influences and in this sample of young women such influences may have been more powerful among those not using OCs . Such psychosocial influences are likely to differ at different stages of women 's life cycles . The importance of controlling for such influences in any study of hormone — sexual behavior relationships in women is emphasized , and the need for prospect i ve studies of women before and after starting on steroidal contraception is recognized This study developed and tested an Internet-based gender-specific drug abuse prevention program for adolescent girls . A sample of seventh , eighth , and ninth grade girls ( N = 236 ) from 42 states and 4 Canadian provinces were r and omly assigned to an intervention or control group . All girls completed an online pretest battery . Following pretest , intervention girls interacted with a 12-session , Internet-based gender-specific drug prevention program . Girls in both groups completed the measurement battery at posttest and 6-month follow-up . Analysis of posttest scores revealed no differences between groups for 30-day reports of alcohol , marijuana , poly drug use , or total substance use ( alcohol and drugs ) . At 6-month follow-up , between-group effects were found on measures of 30-day alcohol use , marijuana use , poly drug use , and total substance use . Relative to girls in the control group , girls exposed to the Internet-based intervention reported lower rates of use for these substances . Moreover , girls receiving the intervention achieved gains over girls in the control group on normative beliefs and self-efficacy at posttest and 6-month follow-up , respectively OBJECTIVE : To identify gender differences in social and behavioral factors associated with antiretroviral adherence . DESIGN : Prospect i ve cohort study . SETTING : Methadone maintenance program . PARTICIPANTS : One hundred thirteen HIV-seropositive current or former opioid users . MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS : Participants were surveyed at baseline about social and behavioral characteristics and at monthly research visits about drug and alcohol use and medication side effects .  Electronic monitors ( MEMS )  were used to measure antiretroviral adherence  . Median adherence among women was 27 % lower than among men ( 46 % vs. 73 % ; P<.05 ) . In gender-stratified multivariate models , factors associated with worse adherence in men included not belonging to an HIV support group ( P<.0001 ) , crack/cocaine use ( P<.005 ) , and medication side effects ( P=.01 ) . Among women , alcohol use ( P=.005 ) , heroin use ( P<.05 ) , and significant medication side effects ( P<.005 ) were independently associated with worse adherence . In a model including both men and women , worse adherence was associated with lack of long-term housing ( P<.005 ) , not belonging to any HIV support groups ( P<.0005 ) , crack or cocaine use ( P<.01 ) , and medication side effects ( P<.0005 ) . In addition , worse adherence was associated with the interaction between female gender and alcohol use ( P ≤ .05 ) . CONCLUSIONS : In this cohort of current and former opioid users , gender-stratified analysis demonstrated that different social and behavioral factors are associated with adherence in men and women . Among both men and women , worse adherence was associated with lack of long-term housing , not belonging to an HIV support group , crack/cocaine use , and medication side effects . Among women only , alcohol use was associated with worse adherence We assessed the prevalence of licit ( e.g. alcohol ) and illicit ( e.g. cocaine ) drug use , as well as prescription ( e.g. tranquillizers ) and over-the-counter medications ( e.g. analgesics ) , in a regional sample of female nurses .  Surveys were mailed to a r and om sample of 4000 nurses in Western New York . The survey focused on lifetime and current use of substances , negative consequences of alcohol consumption and dependence . Three mailings result ed in a return of 2400 ( 60 % ) surveys , of which 1951 ( 49 % ) were usable . We examined lifetime and current use in each of the four classes of substances in the context of nursing related-factors ( e.g. type of nurse , nursing specialty , work setting ) and demographic characteristics ( e.g. age , marital status ) . There were significant differences within each of the different groupings . Lifetime experience of negative consequences were relatively rare and few nurses reported dependence on substances other than tobacco and caffeine Few clinical trials include sex as a factor . This analysis explored within-sex differences in response to opioid agonist medications . Males and females r and omly assigned to buprenorphine , LAAM , or methadone  were compared on opioid use and retention in treatment . Females receiving buprenorphine had less objective drug use than females receiving methadone , while males receiving LAAM had less objective drug use than males receiving buprenorphine . Retention in treatment was longer for both sexes receiving methadone versus LAAM . Within-subject change results indicate that all three medications benefit both sexes . Clinical trials should be design ed to examine the impact of sex on outcomes Well-controlled , r and omized studies of  correctional interventions examining gender effects are rare . This study examined gender main effects and gender × treatment interactions in a multisite r and omized trial ( N = 431 ) comparing a new form of correctional supervision for drug-involved offenders ( collaborative behavioral management [ CBM ] ) to st and ard  parole .  Outcomes included repeated measures of yes/no use of primary drug , alcohol use , and recidivism during 9 months postrelease . Generalized estimating equation analyses indicated that despite using harder drugs at baseline , women were less likely than men to use their primary drug and to use alcohol during the follow-up period . No gender-related differences in recidivism were found . Treatment interacted with gender to predict alcohol use , with women in CBM reporting the best alcohol outcomes ( only 5 % of women used alcohol during the follow-up period ) . The clear expectations , positive reinforcement , recognition of successes , fairness , and support present in CBM may be particularly important for women parolees Women often exhibit larger hormonal and subjective responses to opioid receptor antagonists than men , but the biological mechanisms mediating this effect remain unclear . Among women , fluctuations in estradiol ( E2 ) and progesterone ( P4 ) across the menstrual cycle ( MC ) affect the endogenous opioid system . Therefore , the goal of the current study was to compare acute naltrexone response between women in the early follicular phase of the MC ( low E2 and P4 ) , women in the luteal phase of the MC ( high E2 and P4 ) , and men . Seventy healthy controls ( n=46 women ) participated in two morning sessions in which they received 50 mg naltrexone or placebo in a r and omized , counterbalanced order . Women were r and omized to complete both sessions in either the early follicular ( n=23 ) or luteal phase of the MC . Serum cortisol , salivary cortisol , prolactin , luteinizing hormone ( LH ) , and subjective response were assessed upon arrival to the laboratory and at regular intervals after pill administration . In luteal and early follicular women but not men , naltrexone ( vs. placebo ) increased serum cortisol and prolactin levels from baseline ; however , the naltrexone-induced increases in these hormones were significantly greater in luteal women than early follicular women . Additionally , only luteal women demonstrated an increase from baseline in salivary cortisol levels and the severity of adverse drug effects in response to naltrexone . In sum , the results indicate that luteal phase women are more sensitive to acute hormonal and subjective effects of naltrexone than early follicular women and men . These findings may have important implication s for the use of naltrexone in women The aim of this study is to evaluate  gender differences in schizophrenia  in response to typical and atypical antipsychotics . The SOHO ( Schizophrenia Outpatient Health Outcomes ) study is a 3-year , prospect i ve , observational study of health outcomes associated with antipsychotic treatment in 10 European countries that included over 10,000 out patients initiating or changing their antipsychotic medication . The analyzed sample included 4529 men ( 56.68 % ) and 3461 women ( 43.32 % ) . Findings showed that gender was a significant predictor for response based on the Clinical Global Impression ( CGI ) scale and for improvement in quality of life measured with the EuroQol-5D ( EQ-VAS ) scale , with women having a better response . The highest gender differences were found in typical antipsychotics and clozapine . Olanzapine only showed differences in quality of life , and no differences were found for risperidone . In conclusion , in this group of out patients with schizophrenia , gender is a predictor of clinical response to antipsychotic treatment , but its influence is not the same for all antipsychotics Bromberger JT and Kravitz HM ( 2011 ) Mood and menopause : Findings from the Study of Women ’s Health Across the Nation ( SWAN ) over 10 years . Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics of North America 38 : 609–625 . Bou Khalil R ( 2012 ) Biological correlates of women ’s mood and orgasm . Australian and New Zeal and Journal of Psychiatry 46 : 1115–1117 . Christensen BS , Grønbaek M , Osler M , et al. ( 2011 ) Sexual dysfunctions and difficulties in Denmark : Prevalence and associated sociodemographic factors . Archives of Sexual Behavior 40 : 121–132 . Davis S , Papalia MA , Norman RJ , et al. ( 2008 ) Safety and efficacy of a testosterone metered-dose transdermal spray for treating decreased sexual satisfaction in premenopausal women : A r and omized trial . Annals of Internal Medicine 148 : 569–577 . Davis SR and Jane F ( 2011 ) Sex and perimenopause . Australian Family Physician 40 : 274–278 . Davison SL , Bell RJ , LaChina M , et al. ( 2009 ) The relationship between self-reported sexual satisfaction and general well-being in women . The Journal of Sexual Medicine 6 : 2690–2697 . Haberfellner EM and Rittmannsberger H ( 2004 ) Spontaneous remission of SSRI-induced orgasm delay . Pharmacopsychiatry 37 : 127–130 . Montejo AL , Llorca G , Izquierdo JA , et al. ( 2001 ) Incidence of sexual dysfunction associated with antidepressant agents : A prospect i ve multicenter study of 1022 out patients . Spanish Working Group for the Study of Psychotropic-Related Sexual Dysfunction . Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 62 ( Suppl 3 ) : 10–21 . Montejo AL , Majadas S , Rico-Villademoros F , et al. ( 2010 ) Frequency of sexual dysfunction in patients with a psychotic disorder receiving antipsychotics  . Journal of Sexual Medicine 7 : 3404–3413 . Mulhall J , King R , Glina S , et al. ( 2008 ) Importance of and satisfaction with sex among men and women worldwide : Results of the global better sex survey . Journal of Sexual Medicine 5 : 788–795 . Olfson M , Marcus SC , Tedeschi M , et al. ( 2006 ) Continuity of antidepressant treatment for adults with depression in the United States . American Journal of Psychiatry 163 : 101–108 INTRODUCTION AND AIMS This study aims to explore the temporal relationship between age of onset of substance use and criminal activity in women convicted of violent crimes as well as to subdivide them into clinical ly significant groups to which tailored treatment can be guided . DESIGN AND METHOD Of the 353 female inmates r and omised for this study , 38 ( 10.8 % ) refused to participate and 182 ( 51.6 % ) met inclusion criteria . Data were obtained only from substance-abusing female inmates serving a sentence for robbery or homicide in a female penitentiary in Brazil . Participant information was gathered through face-to-face interviews during which alcohol and drug abuse , impulsiveness levels , depressive symptoms , and criminological aspects were investigated . RESULTS . Age of first alcohol and drug use significantly preceded the age of onset of criminal activities in the overall sample . Onset ages of alcohol and drug use problems significantly preceded the beginning of criminal activities in women convicted of homicide only . Latent Class Analysis result ed in two groups : cluster 1 ( n = 122 ; 67 % ) , early-onset alcohol and drug users ; and cluster 2 ( n = 60 ; 33 % ) , late-onset alcohol and drug users . Higher depression levels , higher incidence of committing robbery and less official history of recidivism were associated with cluster 1 inmates . DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS The temporal relationship between the onset age of alcohol/drug use problems and age of the beginning of criminal activities can set apart women convicted of robbery from those convicted of homicide . Further , a distinctive therapeutic approach to early- and late-onset offenders may be valuable Background : Studies of effectiveness of school-based prevention of substance misuse have generally overlooked gender differences . The purpose of this work was to analyse gender differences in the effectiveness of a new European school-based curriculum for prevention of substance misuse among adolescents . Methods : The European Drug Abuse Prevention ( EU-Dap ) trial took place in seven European countries during the school year 2004–05 . Schools were r and omly assigned to either a control group or a 12-session st and ardised curriculum ( “ Unplugged ” ) based on a comprehensive social influence model . The analytical sample consisted of 6359 students ( 3324 boys and 3035 girls ) . The use of cigarettes , alcohol and illicit drugs , adolescents ’ knowledge and opinions about substances , as well as social and personal skills were investigated through a self-completed anonymous question naire administered at enrolment and 3 months after the end of the programme . Adjusted Prevalence Odds Ratios were calculated as the measure of association between the intervention and behavioural outcomes using multilevel regression modelling . Results : At enrolment , boys were more likely than girls to have used cannabis and illicit drugs , whereas girls had a higher prevalence of cigarette smoking . At the follow-up survey , a significant association between the programme and a lower prevalence of all behavioural outcomes was found among boys , but not among girls . Age and self-esteem emerged as possible modifiers of these gender differences , but effects were not statistically significant . Conclusions : Comprehensive social influence school curricula against substance misuse in adolescence may perform differently among girls and boys , owing to developmental and personality factors OBJECTIVES The co-occurrence of severe mental illness and substance use disorder , or dual diagnosis , is prevalent and is associated with significant clinical and social problems . Most studies have treated persons with a dual diagnosis as a homogeneous population , grouping together different substances of misuse . This study investigated whether subgroups defined by their main substances of misuse were heterogeneous . The primary hypothesis was that users of stimulants , such as cocaine or amphetamines  , would be characterized by especially high rates of inpatient admission , violence , and self-harm . METHODS Case managers ' ratings were used to identify individuals with serious mental illness and comorbid substance abuse or dependence who were being treated by 13 community mental health teams in South London . St and ardized instruments were used to elicit sociodemographic , clinical , social , and service use data . RESULTS A total of 233 cases of comorbid substance use disorder and psychotic illness were identified . On the basis of best available information , 78 ( 34 percent ) patients were classified as alcohol misusers only , 52 ( 22 percent ) as alcohol and cannabis users , 29 ( 12 percent ) as users of cannabis only , and 55 ( 24 percent ) as stimulant users ; 19 patients ( 8 percent ) were excluded from the analysis . No significant differences were found between subgroups in the use of inpatient services and lifetime history of self-harm , but there was a significant difference in lifetime history of violence , which was more frequent among stimulant users . The alcohol users were older and more likely to be white , but otherwise few differences between subgroups were suggested by exploratory analyses . CONCLUSIONS Apart from differences in history of violence , little heterogeneity was found among subgroups of patients with different types of substance misuse This study tested a computerized gender-specific , parent-involvement intervention program grounded in family interaction theory and aim ed at preventing substance use among adolescent girls . Following program delivery and 1 year later , girls r and omly assigned to the intervention arm improved more than girls in a control arm on variables associated with reduced risks for substance use , including communication with their mothers , knowledge of family rules about substance use , awareness of parental monitoring of their discretionary time , non-acceptance of peer substance use , problem-solving skills , and ability to refuse peer pressure to use substances . Relative to control-arm girls , those in the intervention arm also reported less 30-day use of alcohol and marijuana and lower intentions to smoke , drink , and take illicit drugs in the future .  Girls ' mothers in the intervention arm reported greater improvements after the program and relative to control-arm mothers in their communication with their daughters , establishment of family rules about substance use , and monitoring of their daughters ' discretionary time . Study findings lend support to the potential of gender-specific , parent-involvement , and computerized approaches to preventing substance use among adolescent girls
Such prevalence rates have not been observed in adolescents .
Differences between men and women involve : ( i ) the biological response to the drug , ( ii ) the progression to drug dependence , and ( iii ) the comorbid psychiatric diagnoses , which may be due to both sociocultural factors and innate biological differences .
The introduction of gender into forensic toxicological evaluations may help eluci date the relationship between the body 's absorption of abused drugs ( alone or in combination ) and the onset of intoxications , both lethal and none
Gender differences in substance use/abuse have been the focus of research in the last 15 years .
Initiation , use patterns , acceleration of disease course , and help-seeking patterns are known to be influenced by gender differences with regard to biological , psychological , cultural and socioeconomic factors .
This paper presents a systematic review of published data on gender differences in the use/abuse of psychoactive and psychotic drugs , focusing on the importance of a multidisciplinary approach .
A crucial role played by ovarian hormones ( oestrogens and progesterone ) has been documented in both human and animal model studies .