Alcohol-Dependent Subjects Show Different Personality Traits Compared With Subjects With Multiple Substance Dependence: Preliminary Data.

METHODS

We compared personality traits of 27 persons with multiple substance dependence with personality data of 52 alcohol-dependent persons regarding their personality traits and disorders (obtained by using SCID-II, TCI and NEO FFI). Both patient groups were free of any other mental disorder.

RESULTS

In SKD-II, we found significant differences in the male group in dependent and scizotypic personality disorder. There were no significant differences in the female group, but sample was very small. We also found significant differences between alcohol-dependent and multiple substance-dependent persons in extraversion and novelty seeking.

CONCLUSIONS

We detected significant differences in personality disorders evaluated by SCID-II. Temperament and character items—as evaluated by NEO FFI and TCI—showed also significant differences in personality traits. Given the limited number of subjects, the data should be regarded as preliminary until replicated in a larger sample. Nevertheless, the findings may be of clinical relevance with respect to prognosis or individualized treatment. These findings should be treated with caution until replicated.