Personality Traits and Drug Consumption

Springer, Cham, 2019

This book discusses the psychological traits associated with drug consumption through the statistical analysis of a new database with information on 1885 respondents and use of 18 drugs. After reviewing published works on the psychological profiles of drug users and describing the data mining and machine learning methods used, it demonstrates that the personality traits (five factor model, impulsivity, and sensation seeking) together with simple demographic data make it possible to predict the risk of consumption of individual drugs with a sensitivity and specificity above 70% for most drugs. It also analyzes the correlations of use of different substances and describes the groups of drugs with correlated use, identifying significant differences in personality profiles for users of different drugs. The book is intended for advanced undergraduates and first-year PhD students, as well as researchers and practitioners. Although no previous knowledge of machine learning, advanced data mining concepts or modern psychology of personality is assumed, familiarity with basic statistics and some experience in the use of probabilities would be helpful.

The American Journal on Addictions, 2012

Background: Drug addiction and alcoholism involve a complex etiopathogenesis with a variable degree of risk contributions from the host (person), environment, and addictive substances. In this work, temperament and character features of individuals addicted to opiates or alcohol are compared with normal controls to study personality factors in the overall risk for drug addiction. Methods: The study was done in a permissive environment, with easy access to alcohol and heroin, which facilitated analyses of personality factors in drug choice. Participants included 412 consecutive patients (312 opiate addicts, 100 alcohol addicts) treated at the Specialized Hospital for Chemical Dependency in Belgrade, Serbia, and a community sample of 346 controls. Results: Opiate addicts manifested antisocial temperament configuration (high Novelty Seeking, low Reward Dependence) coupled with high Self-transcendence (ie, susceptibility to fantasy and imagination). Alcohol addicts manifested sensitive temperament configuration (high Novelty Seeking coexisting with high Harm Avoidance). Immature personality was observed far more frequently in opiate addicts than in alcoholics or normals. Conclusions: Novelty Seeking appears to be a general risk factor for drug addiction. High Harm Avoidance appears to channel individuals with high Novelty Seeking towards alcoholism. Immature character traits and probable Personality Disorder increase the risk of illegal drugs. Based on equivalent research in nonpermissive environments, at least a portion of our opiate addicts could have developed alcoholism instead in environments with more limited access to opiates. Personality factors provide useful guidelines for preventive work with young individuals with personality risk factors for drug addiction.

Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2004

As personality may predispose, precipitate or perpetuate substance abuse and/or dependence, and as it is considered to remain stable across the years in a given subject, potential links with the drug of choice may help screen future patients before drug consumption. The present study compared three groups: 42 patients with heroin dependence (mean age: 31.2; standard deviation (SD): 5.5; 10 females), 37 patients with alcohol dependence (mean age 44.2; SD: 9.1; 9 females) and 83 subjects from a random population sample (mean age: 38.8; SD: 6.9; 20 females). Personality was measured by Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Pillai's MANCOVA with age as a covariate and gender as a cofactor was highly significant. Univariate ANOVA analyses using TCI dimensions as dependent variable showed most variables to vary in parallel for the two patient groups in comparison with controls. Post-hoc tests showed heroin patients to score higher in Novelty-Seeking and Self-Directedness than alcohol patients. Sub-dimensions Exploratory Excitability, Fear of the Uncertain, Responsibility, Congruent Second Nature and Transpersonal Identification were also significantly different in the two patient samples. Logistic regression showed Exploratory Excitability to segregate up to 76% of heroin patients from alcohol patients. In conclusion, personality profiles were linked to some preferential choice of drug and personality screening might be tested in preventive strategies.

2010

We sought to evaluate the risk factors and personality traits associated with specific drug use and drug addiction in general. Design: We compared the temperament and character traits of people addicted to opiates or alcohol to healthy controls. Participants: In total, 412 consecutive patients (312 people addicted opiates; 100 to alcohol) treated at the Specialised Clinic for Chemical Dependency in Belgrade, Serbia and a community sample of 346 healthy controls participated in this study. Measurements: We employed the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and the DSM-IV criteria for opiate addiction and alcoholism. Findings: Participants addicted to opiates manifested "antisocial" temperaments (i.e., high novelty seeking and low reward dependence), whereas participants addicted to alcohol had "sensitive" temperaments (i.e., high novelty seeking, high harm avoidance). We observed immature personalities and personality disorders far more frequently in people addicted to opiates than those addicted to alcohol or healthy participants. Conclusions: Novelty seeking appears to be a risk factor for drug addiction. High harm avoidance may direct high novelty seeking people toward alcoholism. Personality disorders increase the risk of illegal drug use. Personality factors may provide useful indicators for drug addiction preventive work with young people.

Revista Brasileira de Psiquiatria, 2015

Objectives: To evaluate how personality traits are associated with occasional use, abuse, and dependence of alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, benzodiazepines, and hallucinogens in a large availability sample of adults via online questionnaires. Methods: The sample consisted of 8,646 individuals (24.7% men and 75.3% women) who completed an anonymous web survey. Involvement with drugs and temperament/character traits were assessed through the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) and the Temperament and Character Inventory -Revised (TCI-R), respectively. Interactions among variables were analyzed using MANOVA with Bonferroni adjustment. Results: Novelty seeking was the trait most associated with increased involvement with alcohol, cannabis, and cocaine. There was a significant association between harm avoidance and benzodiazepine use. Persistence was lower in cannabis-, benzodiazepine-, and cocaine-dependent subjects, as well as in hallucinogen abusers. Self-directedness was reduced in dependents of all drug classes. No strong relationships were found between other temperament or character dimensions and the severity of drug use. Conclusions: Novelty seeking was associated with increased involvement with all drugs studied in this sample, although to a lesser extent with benzodiazepines and hallucinogens. The temperament and character profile for benzodiazepine use was different from that of other drugs due to the relationship with higher harm avoidance and self-transcendence and lower self-directedness.

This research has been performed to investigate the relationships between the personality traits and drug usage among the addicted society members. 200 people took part in the present investigation. They were selected in clusters at random from among addicted communities who referred to the centers for stopping addiction and answered Neo personality traits questionnaires and the questionnaire for drug usage withdrawal.Resulted data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient and simultaneous regression. The results of the research indicate that conscientiousness has the highest correlation (P<0.01, r= -063), of course personality traits of extroversion (P<0.01, r=-0.51), neurosis orientation (P<0.01, r=0.43), and compatibility (P<0.01, r=-0.43) with the use of drugs, But openness to experience has no correlations with the drug usage.Also, the results of analyzing regression indicates that the differentials of extroversion, conscientiousness explain (P<o.001)0.56 of variance of drug usage. According to the increase in the number of addicts, dangerous drugs and frequent returns among the addicts, identifying dangerous factors and critical prerequisites of identifying addiction decreases the range of its dangers.

Journal of Addictions & Offender Counseling, 2007

Using H. J. Eysenck's (1957, 1967) theory of temperament, this study examined the relationship between drug preference, drug use, and personality among incarcerated inmates. Analysis indicated a general preference for marijuana and alcohol over 8 other commonly used drugs across different personality types. Theoretical and clinical implications are offered. Hans J. Eysenck (1957), a pioneer of alcohol and other drug (AOD) research, postulated that temperament can be modified by AOD use and serves as a predictor of drug preference. His early research has stimulated generations of studies on personality and vulnerability to drug use. Whereas drug preference may or may not be implied by the use of particular drugs (as actual drug use may be a function of cost, availability, and peer influence), the majority of research (

BMC Psychiatry, 2008

Background: Personality traits are considered risk factors for drug use, and, in turn, the psychoactive substances impact individuals' traits. Furthermore, there is increasing interest in developing treatment approaches that match an individual's personality profile. To advance our knowledge of the role of individual differences in drug use, the present study compares the personality profile of tobacco, marijuana, cocaine, and heroin users and non-users using the wide spectrum Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality in a diverse community sample.

British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology, 2010

The existence of a close relation between personality and drug consumption is recognized, but the corresponding causal connection is not well known. Neither is it well known whether personality exercises an influence predominantly at the beginning and development of addiction, nor whether drug consumption produces changes in personality. This paper presents a dynamic mathematical model of personality and addiction based on the unique personality trait theory (UPTT) and the general modelling methodology. This model attempts to integrate personality, the acute effect of drugs, and addiction. The UPTT states the existence of a unique trait of personality called extraversion, understood as a dimension that ranges from impulsive behaviour and sensation-seeking (extravert pole) to fearful and anxious behaviour (introvert pole). As a consequence of drug consumption, the model provides the main patterns of extraversion dynamics through a system of five coupled differential equations. It combines genetic extraversion, as a steady state, and dynamic extraversion in a unique variable measured on the hedonic scale. The dynamics of this variable describes the effects of stimulant drugs on a short-term time scale (typical of the acute effect); while its mean time value describes the effects of stimulant drugs on a long-term time scale (typical of the addiction effect). This understanding may help to develop programmes of prevention and intervention in drug misuse.

Background: The problem of substance abuse in our society is increasing which has drawn both public and scientific attention. Substances are abused in various forms such as inhalation, oral or injectables. The courting among personality and substance abuse is complicated because the variety of personality profiles that have been hypothesized to exist to steer substance abuse is extraordinarily wide and the personality elements can also impact the use of substances in different degrees. The objective of this study is to investigate the personality profiles (neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness) of illicit intravenous substance abusers. Method: The sample of this study (N= 50) has been divided into two groups of 25 subjects in each group comprising of the study group i.e., the illicit intravenous substance abusers (Group I) and the control group i.e., the matched non-substance users (Group II). The study group for this study is drawn from the population of patients registered at the Opioid Substitution Therapy Centre, Gauhati Medical College and Hospital with the diagnosis of illicit intravenous drug abuse by using simple random sampling technique. The NEO-PI-R was administered to both the groups. Result: The results indicate that the control group scored higher on neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience and conscientiousness, whereas the study group scored higher on agreeableness. Conclusion: In addition to confirming high levels of negative affect and impulsive traits, this study highlights the links between substance abuse and low conscientiousness. These hyperlinks offer insight into the etiology of substance abuse and future implications for public health interventions.