Do male drug addicts with non-Norwegian ethnic backgrounds need gender specific treatment?

Aim

This paper focuses on the meaning of gender in the interaction between clinicians and male clients in the context of drug treatment in Norway.

Methods

The interaction between clients and clinicians was observed during a six month period of fieldwork. The 20 male clients were adults of varying non-Norwegian ethnic backgrounds, whereas the 61 female and male clinicians were mainly professional social workers and trained nurses with a Norwegian ethnic background. The interaction took place in institutions such as treatment and detoxification centres, special institutions and social security offices. After the fieldwork, interviews were carried out with three of the clients over a period of one year.

Results

The clinicians did not engage with the clients as men, but as drug addicts. Therefore they expected the clients to participate in a “talking cure” to quit their drug abuse. The clients refused such treatment and asked for work to fulfil their roles and responsibilities as men in extended families. The clinicians refused to help them find employment and demanded them to participate in the talking cure. For the men, this probably led to a challenge of their masculinities in two ways. Since they had grown up in a society with strong segregation between the sexes, they felt devaluated as men when they had to talk intimately with female clinicians about personal problems. Secondly, the lack of employment meant that the men were unable to fulfil their roles within their families. They seemed to regard the treatment as a menace to their manhood and role as “pater familias”.

Conclusions

For the male clients the meaning of gender seemed crucial when they refused the clinicians talking cure. Many ethnic Norwegian male clients, such as the clients in this article, drop out of treatment. Studies by different researchers show that the interpretations in this study can be transferred and thereby have relevance for male clients of Norwegian ethnic background. Since little research work has been done relating to male drug addicts and the treatments they are offered, there should be a stronger focus on this theme.