Substance-dependent women attending a de-addiction center in North India: Sociodemographic and clinical profile

Abstract

Treatment-seeking is limited in women substance abusers. Studying the sociodemographic and clinical profile of treatment-seeking substance-dependent women can help us to understand the problem better and respond appropriately in terms of primary and secondary prevention strategies. To study the sociodemographic and clinical profile of women attending a de-addiction centre in North India. Retrospective structured chart review of 35 women substance abusers. The results indicated that a typical subject was urban (86%), married (63%), nuclear family (60%), based housewife (57%), educated up to school completion (54%), and having poor social support (57%). The common substances were opioids (60%), followed by alcohol (17%), and tobacco and benzodiazepines (11.5% each). The mean age at onset of substance use was 30.5 years, the mean duration of use was 9 years and mean duration to develop dependence was 5.5 years. The common reasons for initiating use were medical (63%) and curiosity (34%). Comorbidity profile was: physical illness (34%), psychiatric illness (23%) and dependence on another substance (14%). Only 20% had a family history of substance dependence. The social impairment ranged from 77% for social to 40% for financial and none for legal aspects. A typical subject had followed up 4.2 times in 8.4 months, while 54% were abstaining, 40% were continuing their substance dependence at the last follow up. The results suggest that the development of substance dependence in women is a combination of genetic, personal, and social vulnerability factors, including the drug culture of the social milieu and the poor social support. Comorbidity and impairment are common features.