September 7, 2001
How Men and Women Enter Substance Abuse Treatment |
In Brief |
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Among the 1.5 million admissions for substance abuse treatment in publicly funded
facilities in 1998, men outnumbered women by about 2.3 to 1. This may
reflect underlying differences in alcohol and drug use rates in the
general population.1 However, it may also reflect differences in how men
and women access the limited publicly funded treatment resources
available.
The Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) collects information on the treatment referral source for
people entering substance abuse treatment in the public sector. Referral
sources collected in TEDS are defined as follows: Self- or individual referral—self-referral; family member, friend, or other individual Substance abuse care provider—provider whose principal objective is treating substance abuse problems Other health care provider—physician, psychiatrist, or other health care professional; general or psychiatric hospital, mental health program, or nursing home School/employer—school principal, counselor, or teacher; student assistance program, school system, or educational agency; supervisor, employee counselor or employee assistance program (EAP) |
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Other community referral—community, religious, or governmental organization/agency providing social services; self-help group Court/criminal justice referral/DUI/DWI—police official, judge, prosecutor, probation officer, or other person affiliated with a Federal, State, or county judicial system; court referral for DWI/DUI; referrals in lieu of or for deferred prosecution, during pretrial release, or before or after adjudication; pre-parole, pre-release, work or home furlough, TASC, or civil commitment
Primary Substance of Abuse Women were more likely than men to be in treatment for "hard" drugs, such as heroin and cocaine, and less likely to be in treatment for alcohol abuse or marijuana use. Approximately 53 percent of men reported alcohol as their primary substance of abuse compared to 40 percent of women. An estimated 10 percent of men reported primary marijuana abuse compared to 7 percent of women. Women were more likely than men to report primary abuse of cocaine (22 percent of women vs. 14 percent of men), heroin/opiates (20 percent vs. 16 percent), and stimulants (7 percent vs. 4 percent).
Male:Female Ratio
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Source: SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).
Treatment Referral Source The proportion of referrals through the criminal justice system varied considerably by substance (Figure 3). Higher percentages of people entered treatment for marijuana, stimulants, and alcohol by way of the criminal justice system than for cocaine or heroin. |
Figure 2. Treatment Referral Sources, |
Figure 3. Criminal Justice Referrals, by Sex and Primary Substance: 1998 |
Source: SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).
For every substance, a higher percentage of men than women was referred through the criminal justice system (Figure 3). For example, 62 percent of adult men entering treatment for marijuana abuse were sent by the criminal justice system compared to 38 percent of women. When treatment admissions were considered as involuntary (criminal justice system) and voluntary (all other referral sources), the relative numbers of admissions for men and women were much closer to each other (Figure 4). |
Figure 4. Male:Female Ratio, by Criminal Justice Referral and Primary Substance: 1998 |
The
Drug and Alcohol Services Information System (DASIS) is an integrated data
system maintained by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). One component of DASIS is
the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), a national-level dataset comprising
State administrative data from treatment facilities receiving public
funds. The TEDS system includes records for some 1.6 million substance
abuse treatment admissions annually. TEDS records represent admissions
rather than individuals, as a person may be admitted to treatment more
than once.
The DASIS Report is prepared by the Office of Applied Studies, SAMHSA; Synectics for Management Decisions, Inc., Arlington, Virginia; and RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Information and data for this issue are based on data reported to TEDS through April 16, 2001. Access the latest TEDS reports at: Access the latest TEDS public use files at: |
Source: SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).
End Note
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This page was last updated on December 31, 2008. |