A Cross Sectional Study of Personality Profile of Patients with Opioid Related Disorders in a Medical College of Eastern India

Abstract

Background: In India, one of the most common substances for which people seek treatment is opioids (including
opioids taken by the injecting route). This group is often characterized by use of multiple substances. Various
biological, social and psychological factors have been implicated in initiation and maintenance of substance use
disorders, for example, family history, getting involved with deviant peer group, presence of other psychiatric
comorbidities and personality factors.
Methods: 70 people with Opioid related disorders diagnosed by DSM 5 were interviewed with LDQ and NEO
FFI3 to assess severity of opioid related disorders and personality of those patients.
Results: The study shows that most of the OUD patients were male. Majority of the OUD patients belonged
to urban background. 70 % had initiated use of opioid before 20yrs of age. Patients with low dependence had
high neuroticism (32.67±1.15) and extraversion (31.00±2.65). Patients with high dependence had very low
conscientiousness (19.5±2.32) and very high neuroticism (38.25±3.55).
Discussion: Neuroticism (38.25±3.55) was very high in high dependency OUD group and so was extraversion
(34.92±3.65). Openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness had neutral findings in all the threedependence category. Hence, there was significant association between the personality profile factors and alcohol
dependence and severity of Opioid dependence.