Holdcraft Laura C, Iacono William G
Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, 75 East River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55455-0344, USA.
Drug Alcohol Depend. 2004 May 10;74(2):147-58. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2003.11.016.
Studies of patients with cocaine and heroin use disorders have shown gender differences in prevalence, course, and outcome. These differences may be decreasing in successive generations. Less is known about gender differences in course and symptomatology for other illicit drug use disorders, especially in community samples.
Participants (1323 men and 1384 women) who were biological or step-parents of twins and born in the 1940-1960s, from the Minnesota Twin-Family Study (MTFS) were divided into two cohorts based on the median birth year. A structured interview was used to assess DSM-III-R cannabis, amphetamine, cocaine and hallucinogen use disorders.
There was a higher prevalence of each of these drug disorders and earlier onset of cannabis and amphetamine use disorders in later-born participants. For most drug use disorder categories, men and women were similar with respect to age of onset and severity of disorder but women had a shorter course of drug use disorders. Women with amphetamine disorders were atypical with respect to having a higher frequency of use but similar number of lifetime uses compared to men, and more emotional effects of amphetamine intoxication than men. In addition, women with amphetamine disorders were more likely to have anorexia nervosa than those without amphetamine disorders.
These results have several implications for prevention, etiology and treatment.
对可卡因和海洛因使用障碍患者的研究表明，在患病率、病程和结局方面存在性别差异。这些差异可能在连续几代人中逐渐减小。对于其他非法药物使用障碍的病程和症状学方面的性别差异，尤其是在社区样本中，人们了解得较少。
来自明尼苏达双生子家庭研究（MTFS）的参与者（1323名男性和1384名女性）是双胞胎的亲生父母或继父母，出生于20世纪40年代至60年代，根据出生年份中位数分为两个队列。采用结构化访谈来评估DSM-III-R大麻、苯丙胺、可卡因和致幻剂使用障碍。
在晚出生的参与者中，这些药物障碍的患病率更高，大麻和苯丙胺使用障碍的发病更早。对于大多数药物使用障碍类别，男性和女性在发病年龄和障碍严重程度方面相似，但女性的药物使用障碍病程较短。患有苯丙胺障碍的女性在使用频率较高但终身使用次数与男性相似方面表现异常，并且苯丙胺中毒的情感影响比男性更多。此外，患有苯丙胺障碍的女性比没有苯丙胺障碍的女性更有可能患神经性厌食症。
这些结果对预防、病因学和治疗有若干启示。
