Although the number of men and women smoking, drinking and using other drugs is about equal, each gender has different reasons for abusing substances, according to a study released earlier this month.

The study is based on a nationwide survey of females age 8 to 22 by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.

Researchers found while boys experiment with alcohol, cigarettes and drugs because of the thrill or social status, girls participate due to stress or depression.

"Girls are more likely than boys to be depressed, have eating disorders and to be physically or sexually abused," said Emma Berndt, spokeswoman for the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. "Girls who experience these problems are far likelier to smoke, drink and use drugs than girls who do not experience these problems."

She added girls who start puberty early also are at an increased risk of abusing substances.

Olin Health Educator Jasmine Greenamyer said it's often shown women and men start and end addictions differently.

"Men tend to blame other people for their addictions and women blame themselves and often see it as personal flaw," she said.

The gender gap is narrowing with about 45 percent of high school girls drinking alcohol, compared with 49 percent of boys, the study found.

Parents, educators, health professionals and others will be able to use the data from the study to intervene earlier in the development of substance abuse problems, Berndt said.

"We hope that our report will prompt more research into effective treatment strategies for adolescents, both girls and boys," she said, "and that more programs to prevent and treat young female substance abuse will be developed taking into account the special needs of girls and young women."

Traditionally, substance abuse treatment programs were designed for adult males, Berndt said.

"Prior to the 1970s few programs existed for women and until the 1970s alcohol and drug abuse treatment for women received little attention in the research community," she said.

The MSU Counseling Center offers both group and one-on-one counseling sessions, which are occasionally single sex, said MSU substance-abuse counselor Bob Eubanks.

"There's no rule of thumb that females and males should be seen in different groups," he said. "It depends on the issues that are presented by the individuals."

Greenamyer agreed counseling should be looked at on a case-by-case basis.

"It should be an individual approach," she said.