Women between normality and dependence: a study of problematic consumption and dependence in women aged 30–50 years

Abstract

Introduction: In the field of dependence, there have been few studies on populations of “normal” women.

Aims: To quantify the prevalence of problematic consumption of legal and illegal psychoactive substances, pathological gambling and compulsive buying in a sample of 433 Italian women aged between 30 and 50 years.

Methods: Selection per quota in various shopping malls in Tuscany and Emilia Romagna.

Results: About 13.9% have risk-level alcohol consumption, 9.2% have a medium–high level of tobacco addiction, 7.2% tested positive for compulsive shopping, 1.6% have cannabis dependence and 0.5% are pathological gamblers. Multivariate analysis reveals a relationship between high-risk alcohol consumption and cannabis dependence, and between tobacco addiction and compulsive shopping.

Conclusions: The research reveals various consumption profiles and “minor dependences” which appear to be functional to the ways in which this specific target-group faces ordinary everyday life.

• Alcohol abuse
• cannabis dependence
• compulsive shopping
• pathological gambling
• tobacco dependence
• women

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.