Affective neuroscience personality traits in opioid use disorder patients: The relationship with earlier onset of substance use, the severity of addiction, and motivational factors to quit opiate use

Introduction

This study aims to explore the relationship between affective personality traits and opioid use disorder (OUD), including factors such as motivation to quit, addiction severity, and age of onset of drug use.

Methods

This study included 141 patients with opioid addiction (OAP) and 160 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC). OAP were interviewed and diagnosed according to DSM-5 criteria. HC were screened for past or current drug use. Participants completed sociodemographic forms and the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scale (ANPS), and the OAP group also completed the Addiction Profile Index (API).

Results

SEEK, PLAY, and SADNESS were identified as different affective personality traits between OAP and HC groups. Addiction severity was positively correlated with SADNESS and ANGER, while the age of onset of drug use was correlated with ANGER. Risk factors for OA include family history of substance abuse, low education, and low PLAY scores, whereas risk factors for earlier substance use onset are childhood trauma and high ANGER scores.

Conclusions

This study highlights the importance of understanding affective personality traits in OUD. These findings may deepen our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of OUD. The identification of these affective systems may have implications for the development of personalized prevention and treatment strategies.