Personality profile and drug of choice; a multivariate analysis using Cloninger’s TCI on heroin addicts, alcoholics, and a random population group

• Published in: Drug and alcohol dependence Vol. 73; no. 2; pp. 175 - 182
• Main Authors: Le Bon, O, Basiaux, P, Streel, E, Tecco, J, Hanak, C, Hansenne, M, Ansseau, M, Pelc, I, Verbanck, P, Dupont, S
• Format: Journal Article Web Resource
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 07.02.2004; Elsevier Science; Elsevier
• Subjects: Addiction; Addictive behaviors; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Alcohol; Alcoholics; Alcoholism; Alcoholism - epidemiology; Alcoholism and acute alcohol poisoning; Biological and medical sciences; Choice Behavior; Dependence; Drug addicts; Exploratory Behavior; Farmaceutiska vetenskaper; Farmakologi och toxikologi; Female; Heroin; Heroin Dependence - epidemiology; Human health sciences; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Personality; Personality Disorders - diagnosis; Personality Disorders - epidemiology; Personality Disorders/diagnosis/epidemiology; Pharmaceutical Sciences; Pharmacology and Toxicology; Population Surveillance; Psychiatrie; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Questionnaires; Sciences de la santé humaine; Surveys and Questionnaires; TCI; Temperament; Toxicology; Alcohol; Personality; TCI; Addiction; Heroin; Dependence; Human; Choice; Alcoholism; Drug of abuse; Multivariate analysis
• ISSN: 0376-8716; 1879-0046; 1879-0046
• DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2003.10.006

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.