Measurement of the dimensions of personality traits in patients addicted to psychoactive substances in context of relapses

Abstract Introduction: Recurrent use of psychoactive substances, including alcohol, affects most patients. It is an expression of the chronicity of the disease process. Understanding the causes of this phenomenon is the key to searching for effective therapeutic strategies for this disease. The aim: Analysis of individual dimensions of personality traits in patients in the context of relapses. Material and method: The research was carried out on a group of 301 people addicted to psychoactive substances staying in an addiction therapy center in Lubuskie and Zachodniopomorskie voivodships in Poland. The subjects were divided into two groups. The first group consisted of addicts with reported one-time therapy. The second group consisted of addicts who received at least two treatments at an addiction therapy center. The personality dimension was measured using the NEO-FFI questionnaire and the STAI questionnaire. Results: The following percentages of neuroticism (NF NEUR) were marked in people addicted to psychoactive substances with a single stay in an inpatient treatment center: 8.55% with low intensity, 40.13% with moderate intensity and 51.32% with high intensity. On the other hand, in people addicted to psychoactive substances with multiple stays in an inpatient treatment center, the features of low-grade neuroticism were found to be 6.85%, 25.34% of moderate and 67.81% of high intensity (χ2 = 8.643, p = 0.013). Conclusions: A higher score on the Nervousness Scale of the Neo FFI inventory has a significant impact on the course of addiction and the occurrence of relapses.