Personality traits and psychopathological symptoms in adults with substance use disorders

Abstract

This study aimed to characterize the personality traits of individuals with substance use disorders to verify the association and predictive value of personality traits for psychopathological symptoms and impulsivity. The participants were 77 adults undergoing treatment at a psychosocial care center for alcohol and drug, who completed a sociodemographic and clinical data questionnaire, the NEO Five-Factor Inventory, the Adult Self-Report (ASR), and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11). Most participants presented very low/low scores on extroversion and openness factors. The five personality factors revealed significant associations with most ASR subscales and BIS-11. High rates of neuroticism and low levels of extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness are related to a greater occurrence of symptoms of anxiety, depression, attention, problems of thought and social isolation, somatic complaints, aggressive behavior, and impulsivity. According to the regression models, conscientiousness and neuroticism factors were more significant for symptoms related to anxiety/depression, thought problems, and rule-breaking behavior.