Kvinnor och missbruk : En teoretisk uppsats om kvinnors missbruk av alkohol och droger

Abstract: The aim of this study was, with a theoretical approach, to examine women’s alcohol- and drug problems. Our questions at issues considered early debut, heredity and environment as well as which factors can explain women’s use of alcohol and drugs. This study is based on 5 international published articles, Swedish literature and reports and a minor questionnaire meant to be at help in our analysis of the material. We examine our material with the control theory, the social learning theory, the masculinity theory and developmental psychological theory. Research shows an increase in young women’s alcohol and drug abuse and possible reasons are increase of media exposure, changed gender roles, sexual abuse, stress and mental health problems and social marginalization. Our questionnaire shows similar results as earlier research. We found that peers and boyfriends influenced the women in our study in their early onset and that heredity and environment also is pertinent factors for developing abuse of drugs and alcohol. For the women in our study, there seems to be a lack of protective factors which researchers find important. On the contrary, there seemed to be several numbers of risk factors who could explain the women’s development of alcohol and drug abuse. Keywords: Abuse, addict, adolescence, alcohol, drugs, drug misuse and women.