Coping Behaviors of Cocaine Dependent Women

Abstract

Four-hundred and forty-nine cocaine dependent women from three treatment programs were assessed for level of addiction severity, family difficulty, medical problems, and types of coping strategies at treatment entry. Results indicate that the women utilized more problem-focused coping at treatment entry than emotion-focused. And, findings also revealed that most women used similar coping strategies regardless of intensity or philosophy of the treatment program. ANOVA analysis revealed differences between groups in the use of express emotion and social withdrawal. Findings that reveal an association between social support and the utilization of more positive coping strategies have implications for engaging family members and support network persons in the treatment process. Relationships between social withdrawal and other emotion focused coping strategies have implications for aggressive outreach to engage women in treatment.

Key Words:

• African-American
• women
• crack cocaine
• coping