Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Drug Addiction Treatment: a Systematic Mapping Review

Abstract

Abstract“Intervention support and treatment” programs are most likely to have been designed for the substances consumed by men, and to cater for men’s needs, with little regard to the specific needs of women. Gender-based violence (GBV) has become a key area for addressing the treatment of drug addiction from a gender perspective. In this mapping review covering 32 articles, we examine the strategies used to address gender-based violence in drug addiction treatments that include women. The main topics of analysis were as follows: characteristics of drug addiction treatment, conceptualization of GBV, measurement and approach of GBV in treatment for drug addiction, and effects on health associated with GBV and drug addiction. Only 18.75% of the studies on GBV addressed the area of psycho-social care in the treatment of drug addiction. To avoid inequalities in the healthcare offered, gender-sensitive research and interventions are required which include GBV in the treatment of drug addiction.