Personality Traits in Relation to Alcohol Dependence and Abuse and Psychiatric Comorbidity Among Women: A Population-Based Study

Abstract

This study investigates relationships between personality traits, alcohol dependence and abuse (ADA), and psychiatric comorbidity in a general population sample of women. The study is based on data from a previous study by this group titled “Women and Alcohol in Göteborg.” Altogether, 316 women were interviewed. Personality traits were assessed with the Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP) and lifetime psychiatric diagnoses given according to The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Revised Edition (DSM-III-R). Compared with the reference group, women with a lifetime diagnoses of ADA were more anxious, tense, socially conformist, impulsive, and irritable. They were also more easily fatigued, and less satisfied with their present life situation and childhood experiences. This was more marked among women with current ADA than in women with resolved ADA. Women with other psychiatric diagnoses resembled women with ADA, according to the KSP. The results indicate that personality interacts with all diagnoses included, and possibly influences the development of ADA.

• Personality
• Alcoholism
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Comorbidity
• Population survey
• Women

Resumen

El objetivo de este estudio era estudiar las relaciones entre las características en la personalidad y la Abuso y Dependencia con bebidas alcohólicas (ADA) y con enfermedades psiquiátricas coexistentes en una muestra de mujeres de la población en general. Metodología: El estudio se ha basado en datos provenientes del estudio de “Mujeres y Alcohol en Gotemburgo.” 316 mujeres fueron entrevistadas. Las características de la personalidad fueron obtenidas con la Escala de Personalidades del Karolinska (KSP) y a travéz del diagnóstico psiquiátrico durante la vida de acuerdo al DSM-III-R. Comparado con el grupo de referencia, mujeres con ADA (durante su vida) eran más ansiosas, tensas, socialmente conformes, impulsivas e irritables. Ellas se fatigaban más fácilmente, menos satisfechas con la situación de su vida pasada y actual. Esto se aprecio más entre las mujeres con actual ADA que en aquellas con ADA resuelto. Mujeres con otros diagnósticos psiquiátricos eran parecidas a las mujeres con ADA de acuerdo a KSP. En conclusión: Los resultados indican que la personalidad interactua con todos los diagnosticos incluidos, y posiblemente con el desarrollo de ADA.

Résumé

L’objectif était d’étudier l’association entre d’un côté traits de personnalité et de l’autre côté abus et dépendance d’alcool (ADA), ainsi que maladie mentales. L’étude est basée sur données de l’étude longitudinale “Femmes et alcool à Göteborg.” 316 femmes ont été examinées. Traits de personnalité ont été determinés selon le Karolinska scales of Personality (KSP) et diagnostics de maladies mentales ont été faites selon le DSM-III. Les femmes avec un diagnostic d’ADA montraient plus d’anxiété, tension, conformisme sociale, impulsivité et irritabilité par rapport aux femmes sans ADA. Elles étaient aussi plus facilement fatiguées et moins satisfaites avec leur situation de vie, présent et passé. Ceci était plus accentué chez les femmes avec une histoire d’ADA en cours que celles avec une histoire d’ADA. Les femmes avec d’autres maladies mentales ressemblaient aux femmes avec ADA selon le KSP. Les résultats indiquent que la personnalité interagit avec toutes les diagnostics étudiés et possiblement avec le dévéloppement d’ADA.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anette Östlund

Anette Östlund, M.A., is a licensed psychologist and psychotherapist in private practice, and a doctoral student at the Department of Social Medicine, Göteborg University. She is interested in psychoanalysis and object relational theory as a way to understand psychological development and malfunction in research and treatment. She also enjoys sharing everyday life with her three children.

Fredrik Spak

Fredrik Spak, M.D., Ph.D., is a specialist in psychiatry and social medicine, and a lecturer at the Department of Social Medicine, Göteborg University. He is currently teaching primary and secondary prevention and judicial medicine. He served as a research leader in the “Women and Alcohol in Göteborg” study (epidemiology, longitudinal study of prevalence, consequences, and ethiology), early treatment-seeking behavior and secondary prevention of alcohol problems in primary health care. Other research interests include alcohol and youth, and sickness insurance. He is a board member of the Swedish Society of Addiction Medicine. He has authored twenty publications in the field of alcohol epidemiology. He is also an ornithologist.

Valter Sundh

Valter Sundh, B.Sc., statistician and programmer, with 25 years experience as data manager and statistics consultant for different longitudinal population studies at the Dept. of Community Medicine, Göteborg University. Special interests include exact tests, resampling methods and statistics software development.