Naiserityistä päihdehoitoa – etnografinen tutkimus päihdehoitolaitoksen naistenyhteisöstä

Abstract

Alcohol and drug use among women in Finland is currently increasing, meaning there has also been a subsequent increase in women’s drug and alcohol-related problems. Women with substance-abuse issues are a diverse group and they demonstrate unique psychosocial characteristics. On the whole, women’s substance abuse has an immense impact on their lives, including on their health and social relationships. Furthermore, social stigma, labeling and guilt serve as significant barriers to women receiving treatment. However, until recently only scant attention has been paid to genderspecific substance abuse and treatment issues. More traditional treatment programs designed primarily for men may not be appropriate for many women. Therefore, substance abuse treatment specifically designed for women has been proposed as a way to meet women’s distinctive needs and reduce the barriers they experience to receiving help and remaining in treatment. This dissertation in social work focuses on women’s substance abuse treatment from a female-specific perspective. The data has been collected through ethnographic fieldwork in a residential addiction treatment unit based on the therapeutic community approach. The key components of female specific intervention include (1) gender perspective; (2) issues of body and traumatization; (3) identity, emotions and mental health; (4) social relations; (5) women´s addiction problems and the question of personal change. I analyze the occurrence of these elements in my empirical data in the context of a therapeutic community for women. The community is defined here both as a method of conscious, personal change and as the structure of the treatment. The results indicate that women’s treatment issues are comprehensive and that interventions targeted at women are clearly justified. Due to the complex nature of women’s substance abuse problems, the question of continuity of care after residential treatment is critical. Relational issues are important for women and therefore the question of how to reintegrate into society is crucial for women’s recovery on the whole. Keywords: women, substance abuse, female specific intervention, community, ethnography