For many years, addiction research focused almost exclusively on men. Yet scientific awareness of sex and gender differences in substance use disorders has grown tremendously in recent decades. This volume brings together leading authorities to review the state of the science and identify key directions for research and clinical practice. Concise, focused chapters illuminate how biological and psychosocial factors influence the etiology and epidemiology of substance use disorders in women; their clinical presentation, course, and psychiatric comorbidities; treatment access; and treatment effectiveness. Prevalent substances of abuse are examined, as are issues facing special populations.

Table of Contents:
I. Overview 1. Substance Abuse across the Lifespan in Women, Monica L. Zilberman 2. Research Design and Methodology in Studies of Women and Addiction, Stephanie Collins Reed and Suzette M. Evans II. Biological Issues 3. Neuroactive Gonadal Steroid Hormones and Drug Addiction in Women, Jennifer L. Newman and Nancy K. Mello 4. Stress, Neuroendocrine Response, and Addiction in Women, Helen Fox and Rajita Sinha 5. Sex Differences in the Transmission of Substance Use Disorders, Amanda Kalaydjian and Kathleen Ries Merikangas 6. Sex Differences and Neurotransmitter Systems in Addiction, Teresa A. Pigott, Maryann A. Walker, Scott A. Teitelbaum, and Ching-ju Lu 7. Sex Differences in Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics, C. Lindsay DeVane 8. Gender, Cognition, and Addiction, Simona Sava, Alexandra McCaffrey, and Deborah A. Yurgelun-Todd 9. The Roles of Sex Differences in the Drug Addiction Process, Amanda Elton and Clinton D. Kilts III. Co-Occurring Psychiatric Disorders 10. Comorbidity of Substance Use Disorders with Independent Mood and Anxiety Disorders in Women: Results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, Risë B. Goldstein 11. Depression and Substance Use Disorders in Women, Helen M. Pettinati and Jennifer G. Plebani 12. Gender, Anxiety, and Substance Use Disorders, Kathleen T. Brady and Karen Hartwell 13. Co-Occurring Eating and Substance Use Disorders, Lisa R. Cohen and Susan M. Gordon 14. Trauma, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Addiction among Women, Denise Hien 15. Psychotic Disorders in Women with Substance Abuse, Kim-Chi Nguyen and E. Sherwood Brown 16. Concurrent Personality Disorders and Substance Use Disorders in Women, Lisa A. Burckell and Shelley McMain IV. Treatment Outcome 17. Gender-Specific Treatment for Women with Substance Use Disorders, Shelly F. Greenfield and Sandrine Pirard 18. Treatment Seeking and Utilization among Women with Substance Use Disorders, Christine E. Grella 19. Behavioral Couple Therapy: Partner-Involved Treatment for Substance-Abusing Women, William Fals-Stewart, Wendy K. K. Lam, and Michelle L. Kelley V. Specific Substances 20. Women, Girls, and Alcohol, Sherry H. Stewart, Dubravka Gavric, and Pamela Collins 21. Treatment of Nicotine Dependence in Women, Kenneth A. Perkins 22. Gender and Prescription Opioid Addiction, Sudie E. Back and Rebecca Payne 23. Women and Marijuana Dependence: Issues and Opportunities, Aimee L. McRae-Clark and Kimber L. Price 24. Sex Differences in Vulnerability to Stimulant Abuse: A Translational Perspective, Wendy J. Lynch, Marc N. Potenza, Kelly P. Cosgrove, and Carolyn M. Mazure VI. Special Populations 25. Adolescent Substance Use and the Role of Gender, Himanshu P. Upadhyaya and Kevin M. Gray 26. Substance Use in Pregnancy, Chaya Bhuvaneswar and Grace Chang 27. Ethnic and Cultural Correlates of Addiction among Diverse Women, Latoya C. Conner, Charlene E. Le Fauve, and Barbara C. Wallace 28. Substance Use Disorders among Sexual-Minority Women, Thomas W. Irwin VII. Social and Policy Issues 29. Violence and Victimization among Women with Substance Use Disorders, Angela E. Waldrop 30. Legal Issues, Addiction, and Gender, Rebecca W. Brendel and Matthew F. Soulier