Substance Use in Patients With First-Episode Psychosis: Is Gender Relevant?

• Published in: Journal of dual diagnosis 2015-10, Vol.11 (3-4), p.153-160
• Main Authors: Arranz, Belen, Safont, Gemma, Corripio, Iluminada, Ramirez, Nicolas, Dueñas, Rosa Maria, Perez, Victor, Alvarez, Enric, San, Luis
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Age of Onset; Antipsychotic Agents - therapeutic use; Clinical trials; Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry); Drug use; Female; first-episode psychosis; gender; Gender differences; Humans; Male; Patients; Prevalence; Psychosis; Psychotic Disorders - drug therapy; Psychotic Disorders - epidemiology; Severity of Illness Index; Sex Factors; substance use; Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1550-4263; 1550-4271
• DOI: 10.1080/15504263.2015.1113761

Objective: Only a few studies in patients with first-episode psychosis have included gender in the study hypothesis or considered this a primary study variable. The aim of this study was to explore the influence of gender in the pattern of substance use in patients with first-episode psychosis. Methods: This is a sub-analysis of a randomized open clinical trial that compared 1-year treatment retention rates of patients with first-episode psychosis randomized to haloperidol, olanzapine, quetiapine, risperidone, or ziprasidone. Our sub-analysis included 85 men and 29 women. Results: Substance use was relatively high among these patients and differed significantly by gender. Men were more likely to use substances overall than women (89.4% for men vs. 55.2% for women), χ 2 = 16.2, df = 1, p