Hardly any gender differences among opioid users in prison

Abstract

Background: A high proportion of incarcerated women exhibit opioid dependence. Concerning the question whether women and men differ in their opioid use and whether empirical evidence for a telescoping effect (later initiation of drug use with accelerated progression of dependence) in women can be found, the research situation is ambiguous. In this respect, there is a lack of studies on possible gender differences, particularly in the correctional setting. Objective: In a sample of n = 247 opioid-dependent individuals incarcerated in Bavarian prisons we compared female (n = 31) and male (n = 216) study participants regarding age, drug use, substitution treatment, psychological preload, education, and economic situation. Method: Data were collected during an initial interview in prison as part of the ongoing study “Incarceration and opioid dependence—an evaluation study”. Results: There were no differences in drug use between the two gender groups; consequently, no evidence of a telescoping effect among opioid-dependent female prisoners was found. Furthermore, no differences between women and men regarding substitution treatment, education, and economic situation were found. Women were more likely to report having suffered from depression prior to incarceration and having experienced sexual abuse. Conclusion: Evidence was found of greater psychological distress among female compared with male incarcerated persons with opioid dependence, but strikingly few differences beyond that. It seems conceivable that in this population a particularly severe course of opioid dependence could be present, which makes any gender-specific differences recede into the background.