Implications of gender for alcohol treatment research: a quantitative and qualitative review

Previous reviews of alcohol treatment research have indicated that in the majority of studies there are no sex differences in treatment outcome. The current meta-analysis was used to measure the magnitude and direction of trends of sex difference in treatment outcome. The results indicated that women had better treatment outcomes than men in the first 12 months after treatment while men showed greater improvement than women in follow-ups after 12 months. However, the estimated differences were small and derived from a heterogeneous sample of studies. Evidence from the studies in the meta-analysis is used to highlight the importance of gender-related factors which may impact on the processes and outcomes of treatment. In particular, sex differences in physiological responses to alcohol, in social norms for alcohol, and in socio-cultural experiences are considered important areas for future investigation in alcohol treatment research.