Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Sex differences in addict careers. 2. Becoming addicted.

M D Anglin1, Y I Hser, W H McGlothlin

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of California at Los Angeles 90024.

The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
|January 1, 1987
PubMed
Summary

Women develop heroin addiction faster than men, with over 25% of addicts becoming dependent within one month. Other addiction behaviors showed similarities across sexes, aligning with traditional gender roles.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Replication Problems of Substance Abuser MMPI Cluster Types.

Multivariate behavioral research·2016
Same author

Gender differences in mortality among treated opioid dependent patients.

Drug and alcohol dependence·2015
Same author

Characterizing longitudinal health state transitions among heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine users.

Drug and alcohol dependence·2014
Same author

The California Substance Abuse Research Consortium: origins, history, and issues.

Journal of psychoactive drugs·2003
Same author

Comment on "nonresponse and selection bias in treatment follow-up studies".

Substance use & misuse·2002
Same author

An evaluation of drug treatments for adolescents in 4 US cities.

Archives of general psychiatry·2001

Area of Science:

  • Addiction research
  • Sex differences in substance abuse
  • Narcotics use and addiction

Background:

  • Understanding the timeline of addiction development is crucial for targeted interventions.
  • Previous research has indicated potential sex-based variations in substance addiction trajectories.
  • Heroin addiction presents significant public health challenges, necessitating detailed analysis of its onset and progression.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate sex-based differences in the time taken to develop heroin addiction after initial narcotics use.
  • To explore whether patterns of narcotic use differ by sex during the addiction career.
  • To examine sex differences in associated behaviors such as interpersonal relationships, substance use, and criminal activity.

Main Methods:

Related Experiment Videos

  • Analysis of data from 546 heroin addicts.
  • Categorization of addiction development period (within 1 month vs. longer than 1 month).
  • Comparison of demographic, substance use, and behavioral patterns between male and female addicts within ethnic groups (Anglo, Chicano).

    • Main Results:

    • Approximately 25% of studied heroin addicts developed addiction within one month of initial use.
    • Women were more likely than men to become addicted within one month and, on average, took less time to develop addiction.
    • For the majority with longer addiction development periods, narcotic use patterns did not significantly differ by sex within ethnic groups.
    • Differences in interpersonal relationships, other substance use, drug dealing, employment, and criminal behaviors between sexes aligned with traditional sex role expectations.

    Conclusions:

    • Women exhibit a faster trajectory to heroin addiction compared to men.
    • While the initial phase of addiction development shows sex differences, long-term narcotic use patterns may be more similar across sexes within specific ethnic groups.
    • Observed behavioral differences between male and female addicts reflect societal gender role expectations.