Interventions for Women With Substance Abuse Issues: A Scoping Review

The aim of this scoping review was to describe the characteristics and features of substance abuse interventions for women in North America and discuss the findings from an occupational perspective.

A scoping review was conducted to examine North American peer-reviewed literature published between 2001 and 2014. Four databases were searched using terms related to intervention, substance abuse, and women only. Descriptive statistics of categorical groupings were used to describe the data sources and characteristics and features of the interventions.

Forty-two articles met the inclusion criteria, with the majority citing a harm-reduction approach and using multifaceted interventions with various targets for change.

Substance abuse interventions for women are typically multifaceted and follow a harm-reduction philosophy. Further research into the efficacy of interventions that more specifically target occupation beyond substance use is needed.