Socio-Demographic Variables and Personality Profiles of Patients with Substance Use Disorder in a Drug Abuse Treatment Facility in Nigeria

Abstract

Studies in Nigeria on substance abuse have examined the use/abuse/misuse of substances among selected groups. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between sociodemographic variables, personality types and substance abuse/misuse among patients admitted in a drug abuse facility. This cross-sectional study carried out between 2008 and 2011 with 65 participants who underwent psychological assessment in the drug abuse unit of Federal Neuropsychiatry, Uselu made use of a semi-structured socio-demographic questionnaire to get information on age, gender, occupation, level of education, marital status, duration of substance use and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Version-2 (MMPI-2) to assess patients’ personality. It was concluded that male, unemployed, single, likely to be in a tertiary institution or holds a certificate of one tertiary institution are more likely than other categories to abuse psychoactive substance; while antisocial, passive-dependent and passive-aggressive personality appear to be the most common personality type.

Keywords: Sociodemographic; personality profile; substance use disorder, substance abuse patients.