Gender Differences in Patterns of Cocaine Use

Gender differences in characteristics of substance use disorders may have important implications. To explore this question, the authors compared 27 women and 60 men presenting for treatment of cocaine dependence with regard to demographic and cocaine use patterns. Women had earned less in the previous year (P< 0.01) and were more likely to have been unemployed (P< 0.05). Although women began using cocaine at a later age than men, they attained regular cocaine use at the same age as men and had fewer years of total cocaine use at the time of presentation for treatment (P< 0.001). Women were more likely to initiate cocaine use with crack cocaine (P< 0.01) and reported shorter duration of abstinent periods since initiating cocaine use (P< 0.05).