Social Adjustment of Women With and Without a Substance-Abusing Partner

Abstract

Little normative information is available about the psychosocial functioning of women who have a substance-abusing intimate partner. This study examined whether the social adjustment of women who indicate that they have a substance-abusing partner (n=69) is compromised relative to that of women who indicate that their partner does not abuse substances (n=68). Women with a substance-abusing partner reported compromised social adjustment relative to a comparison sample both overall and in five of six life domains (work, social/leisure, primary relationship, parental, family). Results suggest the potential benefit of expanding the focus of research and treatment to include effects and outcomes for these women and to influence treatment-related policy.

Keywords:

• concerned significant other
• family members
• social adjustment
• substance abuse
• women

FUNDING

This research was funded by NIH grants R01 DA12720, R01 DA018696, and P50 DA027841 from the National Institute of Drug Abuse.

The data for this study were collected while Clifton R. Hudson was at the Department of Psychological Studies in Education, Temple University; Claire E. Nick is now at the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology at Widener University. Portions of this work were presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements of Dr. Hudson’s doctoral degree. The authors would like to acknowledge Minako Hudson, Terredell Burrows, Tanya Faranda-Diedrich, Pilar Gonzales, Jennifer Gutierrez, Shannon Mason, Renee Schwartz, and Jenear Sewell for their data collection efforts, and Gordon Hart, Marjory Levitt, Gregory Tucker, Thomas Walker, and Robert Zheng for their contributions to the dissertation which resulted in this article.