Personality traits among individuals with substance use disorders attending a psychiatric hospital in Lagos

Abstract

Substance use disorder is a chronic relapsing disease with rising incidence. Many studies have focused majorly on the sociocultural aspects of substance use disorder and its management. Certain personality traits have been linked to higher risk of substance abuse. Identifying these traits can help predict vulnerability and development of personality-based interventions. The study aimed at identifying personality traits among individuals with substance use disorder. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study involving 167 participants. The Big Five Inventory measured the personality traits of the individuals. Data was analysed using the SPSS version 26 at 95% confidence interval.  There were more males (74.3%) than females in the study and most common age group was 25-34 years (49.7%). The mean SD score for extraversion was 24.57 (4.54), agreeableness 34.73 (5.90), conscientiousness 32.55 (6.20), neuroticism 21.64 (5.88) and openness 35.78 (6.73). Multiple pairwise comparisons revealed significant differences among personality traits. The highest mean differences were observed between: Openness vs. Extraversion (t = 21.6, p < 0.001), Agreeableness vs. Extraversion (t = 20.6, p < 0.001), and Conscientiousness vs. Neuroticism (t = 18.8, p < 0.001). There was statistically significant differences in personality traits across the different substance use disorders noted in agreeableness (F = 4.1, p = 0.04), conscientiousness (F = 4.0, p = 0.04), and openness (F = 4.53, p = 0.04) across SUD groups. No significant differences were observed in extraversion (p = 0.31) or neuroticism (p = 0.62). The study concluded that openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness were significantly higher compared to extraversion and neuroticism in the participants. The results underscore the need for personality-targeted intervention strategies.