Five-factor model personality traits in opioid dependence

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychiatry
• Addiction Research

Background:

• Personality traits are implicated in the development of opioid dependence.
• The Five Factor Model (FFM) categorizes personality into Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness.
• Limited research exists on specific personality patterns in opioid dependence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in FFM personality traits between individuals with opioid dependence and a non-clinical control group.
• To determine if a distinct personality profile is associated with opioid dependence.

Main Methods:

• Compared FFM personality traits in 65 opioid-dependent patients (in buprenorphine therapy) with an age- and sex-matched non-clinical sample.
• Utilized the Norwegian version of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R) for personality assessment.
• Calculated Cohen's d effect sizes to quantify differences in personality trait scores.

Main Results:

• Opioid-dependent individuals scored significantly higher on Neuroticism.
• Opioid-dependent individuals scored significantly lower on Extraversion and Conscientiousness (medium to large effect sizes).
• Small effect sizes were observed for Openness to Experience and Agreeableness.

Conclusions:

• Significant differences in personality traits exist between opioid-dependent individuals and their non-clinical peers.
• Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness appear to be key differentiating personality factors in opioid dependence.
• These findings support the role of specific personality traits in the aetiology and presentation of opioid dependence.