The objectives of this study were to determine if there is a requirement for gender-specific
substance abuse treatment approaches for men and women, if women and men can be effica
ccously treated in an integrated gender nonspecific program, and what the predictors of success
in an Employee Assistance Program are. The study used a quasi-experimental pre-post design
and had a sample size of 120,775 soldiers treated in the U.S. Army's drug and alcohol program.
The results indicated that women were more successful in the program than men; that treatment
combinations using group, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), and an educational focus were the most
successful for both men and women; and that length of time in treatment had no impact on
treatment success for women and only minimal impact for men. Men and women also differed
on various other demographic and treatment variables and their effect on success. For men and
women to be successfully treated in a gender-nonspecific program, the recommended treatments
for men and women should have a group and educational focus, but clinicians must remain
cognizant of gender-related differences when assessing and treating the two groups.
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