SOME PERSONALITY FEATURES AS PREDICTIVE FACTORS OF DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE AND DEPENDENCY

Kao i kod drugih poremećaja u ponašanju, modeli zlouporabe droga i drugih psihoaktivnih tvari proizlaze iz interakcije socijalne okoline, biološke i psihičke konfiguracije te dimenzija osobnosti pojedinca te njenog psihoaktivnog utjecaja. Dosadašnja istraživanja u ovom području dominantno su usmjerena na posljedice zlouporabe i ovisnosti o psihoaktivnim sredstvima, kao i objašnjenja ovisničkog ponašanja, a znatno manje na predisponirajuće rizične čimbenike i snagu njihova utjecaja na ovu pojavu. Iako se osobnost pojedinca ne razvija kao zaseban entitet, zlouporaba droga je, između ostalog, inicirana i različitim dimenzijama osobnosti, kognitivnim procesima i očekivanjima osobe. U tom smislu ovaj rad nudi pregled rezultata psihologijskih istraživanja koji ukazuju na rizične prediktore i njihove interakcijske odnose unutar općeg konstrukta osobnosti. Ove spoznaje mogu značajno pridonijeti razvitku učinkovitih programa prevencije, definiranju rizičnih skupina i ranim tretmanskim intervencijama.Similar to other behavioural disorders, models of drug and alcohol abuse stem from interaction of several factors such as social settings, biological and psychological configuration, individual’s personality dimensions as well as psychoactive effect of drug. To-date research predominantly targeted consequences of drug and alcohol abuse, treatment, rehabilitation and the explanation of dependent person’s behaviour. Much less effort and research addressed the issue of personality as a potent predisposition risk factor and its effect on this phenomenon. Although personality does not develop as a separate entity, drug abuse, amongst other factors, is initiated by different personality traits, cognitive processes, person’s expectancies and psychopathology. In the light of that, this article contains results of psychological research which indicate risk factors and their interactive relationships within general personality construct. These findings therefore relevantly contribute to the development of effective prevention programmes, risk groups identification and early treatment interventions