Elsevier

Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment

Volume 14, Issue 5, September–October 1997, Pages 473-479
Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment

Article
The social construction of co-dependency in the treatment of substance abuse

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0740-5472(97)00121-9Get rights and content

Abstract

Co-dependency has become an important concept in the treatment of substance abuse, yet there is still disagreement about what it means. The meaning of co-dependency is important because it shapes public perceptions of helping behavior and affects the treatment that persons with addictions receive. However, some observers have criticized co-dependency, arguing that the concept is gender-biased, denigrates women, and blames innocent victims of substance abuse. This investigation examined the social construction of co-dependency in the treatment of substance abuse by asking substance-abuse counselors three questions: (a) what do they mean by co-dependency, (b) to what extent does co-dependency mean women, and (c) to what extent do they agree. The findings suggest that co-dependency is a reliable social construction that substance-abuse counselors use to describe persons of both genders.

Keywords

Co-dependency
substance-abuse counselors
women

Cited by (0)

This investigation was funded in part by a summer research fellowship awarded to the first author through the Office of Research Administration of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

View Abstract