Related Experiment Videos
Women's programs versus mixed-gender day treatment: results from a randomized study
Lee Ann Kaskutas1, Lixia Zhang, Michael T French
1Alcohol Research Group, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA. lkaskutas@arg.org
Addiction (Abingdon, England)
|December 16, 2004
Summary
Women with substance use disorders can be effectively treated in mixed-gender programs, showing similar outcomes to women-only programs. Costs were also comparable, suggesting mixed-gender settings are a viable treatment option.
Area of Science:
- Addiction Medicine
- Psychiatry
- Public Health
Background:
- Specialized women's substance abuse treatment programs exist, but their efficacy and cost-effectiveness compared to mixed-gender programs are not well-established.
- Understanding treatment outcomes for female substance abusers in different program structures is crucial for optimizing care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare treatment outcomes and costs between an outpatient women's substance abuse program and mixed-gender programs.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of women-only versus mixed-gender day treatment programs for substance-dependent women.
Main Methods:
- A randomized clinical trial was conducted with 122 substance-dependent women in Northern California.
- Participants were assigned to either a women's program or one of three mixed-gender programs (two community-based, one hospital-based).
- Outcomes including substance use, psychiatric, and social problems were assessed at baseline, end of treatment, and 6 and 12 months post-treatment. Program costs were analyzed.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in psychiatric problem severity, social issues, or drug use rates were observed between the women's program and mixed-gender programs.
- Alcohol and total abstinence rates were similar in the women's program and community-based mixed-gender programs, but lower than in the hospital-based mixed-gender program.
- The average cost per treatment episode was significantly higher in the hospital-based mixed-gender program compared to the women's program.
Conclusions:
- Outpatient women's substance abuse treatment programs demonstrate comparable effectiveness to mixed-gender programs for female patients.
- Mixed-gender programs, particularly community-based ones, offer a cost-effective alternative for treating women with substance use disorders.
- These findings support the integration of women into mixed-gender treatment settings without compromising care quality.