Personality traits of substance abusers in Turkish military population


Can S. S., Ünlütürk S.

Journal of Substance Use, vol.19, no.6, pp.440-443, 2014 (SSCI) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 19 Issue: 6
  • Publication Date: 2014
  • Doi Number: 10.3109/14659891.2013.856477
  • Journal Name: Journal of Substance Use
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.440-443
  • Keywords: Military, Personality, Substance abuse
  • Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

© 2014 Informa UK Ltd.Objective: Determining the type of personality traits in substance abusers may play an important role in the treatment compliance. The aims of the study were to assess the personality traits of substance abusers and to compare them with the healthy controls. Methods: Eighty-seven male substance abusers and 50 healthy male volunteers referred to Manisa Military Hospital between February 2010 and October 2010 were enrolled in the study. Participants filled out the Temperament and Character Inventory. Results: Significantly higher scores for novelty seeking (NS) and harm avoidance (HA), and significantly lower scores for persistence (P), self-directedness (SD), and cooperativeness (C) were detected in substance abusers than in the controls. Conclusion: Substance abusers have distinctive temperament and character dimensions compared with the healthy controls. Further studies with larger samples are required to confirm the results of the present study.