Sex differences in an old adult sample with substance use disorder: A 6 months follow-up study

•Old men and women with substance use disorder differ in many sociodemographic variables, medical and psychiatric conditions, psychological symptoms, family records, and consumption related parameters.•Old women with substance use disorder tend to suffer more from depression while old men with substance use disorder had an early age of alcohol onset and higher tobacco life use.•The outcome at six-month follow up of this sample reflects high rates of adherence (94%) and abstinence (85%) in this SUD old adult sample. Substance use disorder (SUD) is a worldwide concern that has its own particularities regarding age and sex. This study aims to assess the differences between old SUD women and men regarding socio-demographics, clinical factors and outcomes. A 6-months follow-up longitudinal study was conducted in an outpatient center, on a convenience sample of 115 SUD old adults (≥65 years old, average age of 71.57). Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were performed. Data showed statistical significant differences between men and women related to sociodemographic variables (marital status, coexistence, criminal records and stress factors), medical and psychiatric conditions (women suffer higher rates of depression and anxiety, with worse health-related quality of life), family records (women had more presence of family psychiatric records) and SUD related parameters (men tend to use more alcohol, had an early onset, consume higher doses, report more craving and more tobacco life use while women had higher rates of prescription drugs use). At 6-month follow-up, the whole sample showed excellent rates of adherence and abstinence, without sex differences. The study points out sex differences on several sociodemographic and clinical variables, indicating their specific needs. This research could facilitate better approaches by considering a sex perspective in SUD old adults.