Nursing Knowledge About Alcohol Use and Alcohol Problems in Women: A Review of the Literature

In this article, the authors review the nursing empirical literature on alcohol and women’s health published over the past 5 years (2005-2010). A total of 36 data-based articles authored by nurse investigators met eligibility criteria and were included in this review. Most were single studies by individual nurse investigators; few studies reflected ongoing programs of research related to alcohol and women’s health. Studies were categorized into four main groups, including (a) determinants of alcohol use and alcohol problems; (b) patterns of use, assessment of alcohol use, and comorbidity; (c) consequences of alcohol use; and (d) the effects of treatment or specific interventions and the contributions of nursing research to the knowledge base of each group are summarized. The authors then propose a research agenda for nursing that addresses the most pressing issues related to alcohol use and alcohol problems in women. Keywords women’s health, sex differences, gender differences, risk behavior, comorbidity Alcohol dependence among women is an area of growing concern. Although alcohol dependence is more prevalent in men than women, the gender gap for alcohol depen-dence is converging, particularly for persons betwee