Background:

The incorporation of gender variable in drug addiction studies provides information about the presence of differences in the therapeutic success rates between men and women. Is therefore essential to carry out studies to analyse the efficacy of differentiated treatments to improve their success. The objective of this study is to observe differences in success rates among women and men undergoing therapy for drug dependence at an addiction centre during two different periods, before 2005, in which they are treated together and after 2005, in which they are treated in separate groups.

Methods:

The method was as follows: profiling of the individuals in treatment, analysis of the relationship between successful therapy and the independent variables, T-tests of independent samples and, finally, a logistic regression analysis of the period after 2005 when women and men were separated.

Results:

Improved success rates were observed among women after 2005 compared with the previous period (Odds of success in women before 2005=2.00; after 2005=7.08). Success rates among men did not change significantly (Odds of success in men before 2005=2.78; after 2005=2.75). Women’s success rates were higher than men’s (24.4 times more probable on average) for all types of substance abuse and increased for shorter types of treatment, whereas success rates with longer treatments tended to be similar for both men and women (20.5 more likely).

Conclusions:

The study shows improved success rates for drug-dependent women when they are treated separately from men, once the specific problems of drug addiction in women are taken into account.

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