Program and staff characteristics in successful treatment

Women come to drug treatment with lower self-esteem (Regan et al. 1984), more social isolation, and more difficult life situations than men. Women are more likely to present with mental health comorbidity such as depression (Regan et al. 1982). Treatment programs modeled on outcome research on male patients may not yield strategies that are successful with women. Only in the past decade has research been undertaken into the specific population characteristics of women in drug treatment. Programs must be designed with a clear understanding of women's psychological makeup and particular life stress, including the need to care for their children and the reality of physical and sexual abuse. Drug treatment often unmasks a variety of psychosocial problems that, if not adequately addressed by the drug treatment program, may result in relapse into drug use. Many women live in poverty and are inadequately educated, two factors that can interfere with reintegration of the recovered addict into the community. Thus, the drug treatment program, to provide successful long-term outcomes with respect to drug use, must provide long-term aftercare that includes attention to the variety of social, medical, and emotional problems faced by women who use drugs.