Introduction

A review of literature on styles of coping with stress and motivation for therapy in alcohol dependent women and men was conducted. It was concluded that empirical data published hitherto allows the identification of gender differences, but precludes the creation of unequivocal models of motivation and coping with stress in women and men.

Material and methods

Ninety volunteers (33 F and 57 M), age 22 to 70 years (M = 43.70; SD = 11.26), attending rehab therapy (M = 7.97 months; SD = 5.76) in Upper Silesia addiction therapy centre took part in the study. Respondents fill in a demographic data questionnaire, Treatment Motivation Questionnaire and Coping with Stress Questionnaire.

Results

It was shown, that: 1) passive waiting for help from others is significantly more frequent in women than in men; 2) incompetence in coping is significantly higher in women than in men; 3) need for learning new things and for growth is slightly higher (statistical tendency) in women than in men; 4) women significantly more often than men apply emotion-oriented strategies; 5) Men significantly more often than women seek out social contacts; 6) women significantly more frequently than men engage in replacement activities.

Discussion

The pattern of the obtained results was different for women and men. Women wait passively for help from others, they believe in their own helplessness and are prone to reduce emotional tension. Men cope with stress throughout by seeking out social contacts.

Conclusions

In therapeutic work with women, external motivators should be underlined, while working with men internal motivators should be used more frequently. In the group of females, the competencies required for identifying, accepting and coping with difficult emotions are crucial. In the group of males, the competencies for seeking out adaptive social relations are required.