NCJ Number
180777
Editor(s)
Sally J. Stevens Ph.D.,
Harry K. Wexler Ph.D.
Date Published
1998
Length
297 pages
Annotation
These 15 papers examine the patterns; correlates; and societal, medical, and economic consequences of drug abuse among women and examine the processes, outcomes, and cost-effectiveness of effective drug treatment strategies for female drug abusers.
Abstract
Individual papers examine drug use patterns and HIV risk behavior of female drug abusers in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil; Philadelphia, Pa., and New Haven, Conn. The next three papers examine differences between women engaged in drug treatment and women who are not engaged in drug treatment, as well as men who enter treatment. Findings indicate the need for harm reduction strategies tailored to meet the needs of the two different groups of women. Two additional papers focus on gender differences in the risk for gonorrhea infection and the experiences of female drug abusers as victims and perpetrators of violence. The next three papers discuss the role of physicians and prenatal care providers of female drug abusers and suggest that medical settings often miss opportunities to provide prevention, referral, and interventions that are clearly needed by female drug abusers. The final four papers address drug treatment strategies that may be particularly effective for addicted women and the economic impacts on participants before, during, and after drug treatment. These treatment strategies include a prison-based therapeutic community for women and long-term residential treatment for women without children, pregnant women, and women with children. Tables, figures, chapter reference lists, and index