able to access female-only treatment services and/or women-only AA support groups at some point. All of these women reported higher levels of satisfaction with gender-sensitive treatment services and also female-only AA support groups. They generally agreed that female-only treatment groups fostered a supportive, understanding, and safe environment that enabled them to better relate according to common experiences such as a history of abuse, parental and family issues, and concerns about children. In addition, a majority of participants also reported a strong preference for individual counseling at the outset of their treatment regimen as it provides them with an opportunity to identify and explore issues connected to their substance use, to discuss their experiences in greater detail, and to open up without fear of being judged by others. Women reported that individual counseling equipped them to better engage in group treatment by helping them to understand their issues so they could begin to address them.
Approximately half of participants reported that they had completed either outpatient or inpatient treatment programs. An estimated one-third of participants reported that they had, at some point in their drunk driving career, been able to access specific treatment services tailored to a drunk driver population or to those with alcohol use issues, or programs that utilized a gender-sensitive approach. These programs that target the risks and needs of either drunk drivers or female offenders were frequently reported as being more beneficial and effective. However, according to participants, the availability of these types of services is limited or has been reduced substantially in recent years due to reduced funding.
While there was no distinct trend in terms of the type of treatment that “worked” for study participants (e.g., inpatient, outpatient, individual, or group therapy), the level of satisfaction that women reported in relation to the treatment they received appeared to be correlated with their perceptions of whether the treatment they received was delivered in a setting in which they felt comfortable to disclose their experiences and whether the services provided were specific to their individual needs.
At least one-quarter of participants were neither Caucasian or African- American and self-identified as a range of other ethnic and cultural populations including Asian, Hispanic, Mexican, and Samoan. Among these participants, the lack of culturally-sensitive treatment services was not raised
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as an issue, suggesting that this may not be perceived as an important barrier in comparison to some of the other issues that were identified.
Other reported gaps in treatment services related to the limited hours during which programming was delivered, limited transportation options, and the lack of available childcare. It is estimated that more than half of focus group participants reported difficulty in attending treatment either because of limited transportation options, the need to take time off work to attend treatment during regular business hours, or because of the lack of childcare services offered (i.e., there was no one available to watch their children while they attended treatment). Survey respondents identified these three issues as substantial barriers to treatment and the majority (18) noted that no childcare or transportation was offered as part of the treatment they attended. A significant majority of women also agreed that the length of treatment programs is often insufficient to enable them to understand the nature of their substance use and, more importantly, to learn the tools and skills necessary to manage it. To illustrate, with regard to inpatient treatment services, one woman noted that “28 days is like putting a band-aid on a boo-boo; this is much bigger than that.” It was estimated that up to one-half of participants relied upon AA support groups to supplement the limited availability of treatment services. Several women relied on AA as their primary source of ‘treatment’ or therapy either due to a lack of services or because the services available did not meet their needs.
Cost. The cost associated with treatment services was an important factor that determined the type of treatment that at least three-quarters of participants were able to access. In particular, cost often limited their ability to access services that best suited their needs, as did transportation options. More intensive and specific treatment programs are often costly and it is not uncommon for women to be forced to participate in a program that does not meet their needs because that is all they can afford. In addition, some women also reported having to select treatment options that were accessible in terms of transportation as opposed to services that best addressed their needs. Women further reported that such services are counterproductive and make it difficult for them to maintain sobriety.
Participants noted that the availability of insurance coverage typically determines what treatment options are available to them, reporting that, when it comes to treatment services, “you get what you pay for.” The cheapest
FEMALE DRUNK DRIVERS |A QUALITATIVE STUDY Female Drunk Driver Results
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