Personality traits and alcohol consumption in a sample of non-alcoholic women

Abstract

Many studies have shown the importance of personality traits as factors related to alcohol use and misuse. The relationship between personality traits and alcohol consumption was studied in a sample of 149 non-alcoholic women using the Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP) and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised (EPQ-R). The results showed positive correlations between alcohol consumption and disinhibitory personality traits (sensation seeking, impulsivity, psychopathy, nonconformity) and dimensions (psychoticism and extraversion). Sensation seeking combined with impulsivity were the strongest predictors of alcohol consumption. Anxiety-related traits and neuroticism were not related to alcohol frequency/amount of alcohol use.

Introduction

Alcoholism may derive from an early and excessive use of alcohol. Alcohol addiction is a social problem which very often causes family problems, physical aggressions, absenteeism and accidents in the workplace and years of life lost (Yañez, Del Rio & Alvarez, 1993). Prevention and treatment programmes of alcoholism may improve significantly with the knowledge of the mechanisms and determinant factors related to the acquisition, maintenance and modification of alcohol use.

It is known that different factors such as social and environmental variables (e.g. family and peer models of alcohol consumption, peer pressure in leisure situations) are important determinants of alcohol use and abuse. Moreover, some studies show that personality variables are related to alcohol consumption and alcoholism (see Cloninger, 1987, Sher, & Trull, 1994, Cooper, Frone, Russell, & Mudar, 1995). Personality factors may help to understand why, in similar sociocultural contexts, there are important individual differences in frequency and amount of alcohol consumed and why some people become addicted to alcohol while others do not.

One of the main personality characteristics related to alcohol use is sensation seeking. Previous studies have found that the sensation seeking trait is positively related to alcohol consumption in samples of non-alcoholics (e.g. Arque, & Torrubia, 1987, Ortet, & Perez, 1989, Kraft, & Rise, 1994, Luengo, Otero, Romero, & Gomez, 1996, Andrew, & Cronim, 1997; Gonzalez, Ibañez & Peñate, 1997) and associated with type 2 of alcoholism (early onset, high genetic loading and severe social complications such as aggressiveness, complications at work, drunken driving or illegal drug abuse) (Cloninger, 1987; von Knorring, von Knorring, Smigan, Lindberg & Edholm, 1987). Impulsivity is another personality trait related to alcohol use in non-alcoholics (e.g. Wills, Vaccaro & McNamara, 1994) and alcoholics (e.g. Mukasa, Nakamura, Yamada & Inoue, 1990). Sensation seeking (novelty seeking) and impulsivity are personality characteristics associated with the initiation of drinking in order to get novel and varied experiences and immediate pleasure (Zuckerman, 1994) and increases the probabilities of frequent and problem drinking (Cloninger, Sigvardsson, Prybeck & Svrakic, 1995). The third personality trait to consider in relation to alcohol use is anxiety which generally does not influence the consumption of alcohol in non-alcoholics, but there is a clear positive relationship in alcoholics (e.g. Arque & Torrubia, 1987; Chinnian, Taylor, Al-Subaie & Sugumar, 1994; Gonzalez et al., 1997). Thus, once frequent drinking has begun, anxiety (harm avoidance) is associated with continuation and difficulty in stopping alcohol abuse in order to reduce the negative affect that drinkers feel when they are anxious or overaroused (Cloninger et al., 1995), especially in type 1 of alcoholism (late onset, low genetic loading and few social complications compared to type 2) Cloninger, 1987, von Knorring et al., 1987.

When the three broad dimensions of Eysenck's personality theory are studied in relation to alcohol use, a positive relationship is generally found between psychoticism (P) and extraversion (E) with the consumption of alcohol in non-alcoholics Chinnian et al., 1994, Guy, Smith, & Bentler, 1994, Martsh, & Miller, 1997. Sensation seeking is a trait shared by both P and E dimensions (Eysenck & Eysenck, 1985) and this trait, as described above, seems very relevant as a stable predisposition factor to alcohol use (Ortet & Perez, 1989). The other dimension, neuroticism (N), only appears positively related to alcohol among pathological drinkers Chinnian et al., 1994, King, Errico, & Parsons, 1995. In drug dependent samples, high N usually is accompanied by high P and mean or low E scores Eysenck, & Eysenck, 1991, Sher, & Trull, 1994. High anxiety and neuroticism may be a consequence of heavy alcohol consumption in order to avoid the negative affect associated with the alcohol dependence (Cloninger et al., 1995).

The studies reviewed have shown that sensation seeking appears to be one of the personality traits most clearly related to alcohol consumption and the development of alcoholism. This trait is usually assessed using the Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS, see Zuckerman, 1994). The Zuckerman's sensation seeking factor with the highest correlations with alcohol frequency and quantity is the disinhibition (Dis) subscale of the SSS. Given that several items of the Dis refer to alcohol and drug use this relationship may be due, in part, to criterion contamination Andrew, & Cronim, 1997, Darkes, Greenbaum, & Goldman, 1998. The Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP, see Klinteberg, Schalling & Magnusson, 1986) contains a sensation seeking scale (monotony avoidance) with no alcohol or drug related items. Thus it seems a good alternative to the SSS in order to avoid criterion contamination. Furthermore, KSP scales include measures of impulsivity, anxiety and other stable personality traits associated to alcohol use and abuse.

The main aim of this present research was to study the relationship between traits and dimensions of personality with alcohol consumption in a non-alcoholic sample. It was predicted that disinhibitory traits (sensation seeking, impulsivity and psychopathy) and dimensions (E and P) would be positively related to alcohol use, as well as aggressivity and hostility traits. Anxiety and N would not be related to alcohol consumption in this non-alcoholic sample.