Correction: GWAS analysis of a depression cohort defined by an EHR-phenotyping algorithm reveals the role of immune regulations in depression risk.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic, recurring condition characterized by an impaired ability to control alcohol use despite negative consequences. AUD is both a biological and cultural phenomenon influenced by sex (a biological construct based on chromosomal assignment) and gender (a sociocultural construct referring to the norms shaped by the environment and experience). In 2023, 13.2% of adult men and 8.7% of adult women had AUD in the past year. Although the prevalence of AUD is higher among men than women, temporal trends in nationally representative data demonstrate that the gap in rates of AUD is closing. Therefore, prevention and intervention strategies that account for sex and gender differences are necessary to reduce the individual and public health burden of AUD. Throughout the life course, women are less likely than men to receive AUD treatment. Women tend to report more barriers to AUD care than men, including pregnancy, family responsibilities, intimate partner violence, sexual trauma, and stigma, making treatment initiation and engagement even more challenging. When women are able to access treatment, they report more severe medical and psychiatric comorbidities and more social vulnerabilities, whereas men often present with a more severe substance use history and legal problems than women. In addition, men and women differ in their risk profiles for recurrence of alcohol use. Psychological factors, stress, and interpersonal problems have a larger impact on reported cravings and relapse among women than men, whereas men are more sensitive to substance-related triggers for alcohol use. Preliminary research suggests that sex differences in brain changes from chronic alcohol use may persist into alcohol abstinence. Given these differences, treatment that is tailored specifically to men or women is beneficial. Previous studies of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for substance use disorder (SUD) have demonstrated mixed results regarding sex differences in AUD treatment outcomes between men and women. For instance, a 2010 meta-analysis of CBT for SUD found that the percentage of female participants was significantly associated with effect size. Contrastingly, in a recent meta-analysis of CBT for SUD, sex was not a significant moderator of effect size; however, only one-third of the sample were women, possibly limiting the ability to detect a statistically significant relationship. In the few prior studies assessing sex and gender differences in computer-delivered interventions for SUD more broadly, differences in treatment outcomes between men and women have not been identified. However, women tend to prefer and utilize technology-based services more than men and report higher ratings of perceived helpfulness. Specifically, among web-based interventions for problematic alcohol use and AUD, women are participating in trials at rates disproportionately higher than expected based on AUD prevalence data. However, women have demonstrated smaller reductions in alcohol use compared with men following online AUD interventions.