Addiction Research and Therapy

Biography

Biography: Maša Valkanou

Abstract

Is there something called “addictive personality”, what is shared for most drug addicts and is there a space for individuality when addiction is in question? The main objective of this study was to discover the personality characteristic that are accountable for predicting addictive behaviour. The aim was to find a personality profile that is most vulnerable towards drug abuse. Additionally, factors such as emotional involvedness and professional ability were examined. The sample of this research contained 91 participants, 53 addicts and 48 individuals in a control group. Millon Multiaxial Clinical Inventory III (MCMI III) and specially constructed data sheet were used. Canonical discriminant analysis presented the best model which generates distinct personality features that strongly predict drug abuse and to explore differences in the presence of psychopathological features between groups, whilst a Chi-squared analysis examined the additional factors. Significant differences were found between general population and substance abuse group in the presence of personality disorders and level of presented pathology. In conclusion individuals who developed Antisocial, Borderline, Depressive and Dependant personal style are most prone to use substances, whilst individuals who belong to Histrionic or Compulsive Personality style are most unlikely to develop addiction (p<0.001). The addiction is firmly attached to the Depression major presence, PTSD and Dysthymia. Also, addiction group shows significantly higher level of pathology (p<0.001). Individuals who developed any kind of addiction are proven as professionally significantly less capable in comparison to the control group.