Linking Big Five Personality Domains and Facets to Alcohol (Mis)Use: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• The Big Five personality model is a widely accepted framework for understanding human personality.
• Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a significant public health concern with complex etiology.
• Understanding the interplay between personality traits and alcohol misuse is crucial for developing effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically synthesize existing research on the associations between Big Five personality domains and facets with various alcohol use outcomes.
• To quantify the unique predictive power of each personality domain and facet on alcohol consumption, risky drinking, and negative consequences.
• To identify specific personality mechanisms underlying alcohol misuse.

Main Methods:

• Conducted systematic literature reviews in PsycINFO and PubMed.
• Included both peer-reviewed and unpublished studies.
• Utilized correlated effects meta-regressions on 80 independent samples to analyze personality-alcohol use relationships.

Main Results:

• Conscientiousness and agreeableness showed significant negative correlations with alcohol consumption, risky drinking, and negative drinking consequences.
• Facet-level analyses revealed that deliberation and dutifulness (conscientiousness) and compliance and straightforwardness (agreeableness) were uniquely associated with alcohol misuse.
• Extraversion (excitement seeking) was linked to increased alcohol consumption, while neuroticism (impulsiveness, angry hostility) was associated with negative drinking consequences.

Conclusions:

• Personality traits are robustly associated with alcohol misuse.
• Narrowband personality facets offer valuable insights into the mechanisms driving alcohol-related behaviors.
• Findings can inform the development of targeted clinical interventions for alcohol use disorder.