Because the nature and scope of the research proposed in response to this program announcement may vary, it is anticipated that the size of an award will vary also. One goal is to seek a scientific basis for decision making regarding drug abuse and women in recognition of the social, economic, political, marital, familial, and caretaker roles of women and their special vulnerabilities with regard to drug abuse. Another goal is to bring meaning to the efforts to assess gender differences in research on the behavioral effects of drug abuse. Although the number of male drug abusers and addicts exceeds the identified number of female drug abusers and addicts, the clinical picture and consequences of drug abuse by women are more severe although little is known about why this occurs or how to intervene. The changing role of women in society creates a need to track how this may affect present and future substance abuse patterns.
Sex hormones interact at critical life stages to produce profound differences.
Metabolites of illicit drugs are differentially stored and recirculated based on complex factors including age, gender, and physiologic reactions to stress. Research questions need to address clinically and socially relevant problems and follow the axiom of picking the most appropriate design, units of measure, and levels of analysis which fit the research question. In depth descriptive and ethnographic studies are needed to address fundamental issues on which future work can be based. Because of the realities of women in hidden, underserved populations, a combination of insight building studies and meticulous longitudinal studies need to be initiated. Studies also need to consider possible vulnerabilities due to drug effects on the female's developing central nervous system, metabolism, or endocrine functioning and their psychosocial development.