Women's and men's experiences in group therapy for substance use disorders: A qualitative analysis
Open accessAbstract
Background and Objectives: This thematic analysis of qualitative interviews from participants in Stage II randomized controlled trial examined women's and men's experiences in group therapy for substance use disorders (SUDs). Methods: Interviews were conducted with 77 women and 38 men after completion of either the gender‐specific Women's Recovery Group (WRG) or mixed‐gender Group Drug Counseling (GDC). Interviews were coded for themes using a deductive approach with a coding scheme modified from the Stage I trial. Satisfaction was measured quantitatively posttreatment. Results: Participants had high satisfaction scores with no significant differences between groups. Women in GDC rated group gender composition as less helpful than those in WRG. In the GDC group, women more frequently discussed the theme of self‐perception (e.g., feelings of comfort, safety, shame) compared with men. Men overwhelmingly expressed the benefits of having women in the group, whereas women expressed advantages and disadvantages of mixed‐gender groups and preference for single‐gender groups. Guilt and shame were discussed by women and men; however, only women discussed stigma and its important role in their addiction and recovery. Discussion and Conclusion: Men more frequently endorsed the helpfulness of mixed‐gender groups than did women while women appreciated the enhanced support in single‐gender SUD groups. Issues of stigma are especially salient for women. Scientific Significance: Men and women express differences in their experiences of SUD group therapy. Only women endorse stigma as an obstacle to their treatment and recovery. Tailoring treatment to meet women's and men's needs may enhance engagement, retention, and clinical outcomes.
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Women more frequently cite stigma as a barrier to engaging in SUD group therapy.
“Importantly, gender-specific stigma also plays a role; women more frequently cite stigma as a barrier to engaging in SUD group therapy, highlighting the need for gender-tailored treatment strategies.”
From Beyond Stigma–Integrating Neurobiology, Genetics, and Awareness Integration Theory in Addiction Recovery (2026) · cites this paper as [94]
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- Authors
- Sugarman, D. E., Meyer, L. E., Reilly, M. E., & Greenfield, S. F.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County (US)
- McLean Hospital (US)
- Venue
- The American Journal on Addictions
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2021-11-03
- Volume
- 31
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 9-21
- ISSN
- 1055-0496 (ISSN-L)
- 1521-0391
- PMC
- PMC8799487
- OpenAlex
- W3209391364
- Cited by
- 15
- References
- 37
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 1
- FWCI
- 1.44
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- American Journal on Addictions (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (5k23da050780-02, 5k24da019855-10)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (K24-DA019855, K23DA050780], R01DA015434)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
- Keywords
- substance use disorders, group therapy, gender differences, women's recovery, mixed-sex groups, stigma, shame, guilt, treatment satisfaction, drug counseling, gender-specific treatment
- MeSH terms
- Counseling, Female, Humans, Male, Psychotherapy, Group, Women, Substance-Related Disorders
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