Journal of Psychology & Psychotherapy
Open Access
ISSN: 2161-0487
ISSN: 2161-0487
Marco Cavicchioli, Mariagrazia Movalli, Cecilia Dompe, Pietro Ramella and Cesare Maffei
University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Italy
San Raffaele Hospital, Italy
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Psychol Psychother
Statement of the Problem: It is demonstrated that how some personality traits, especially related to negative affectivity and impulsivity, are associated with substance use disorders (SUDs). Personality disorders (PDs) and SUDs frequently cooccur both in the general population and in clinical settings. Consistent with these evidences, some authors suggested how the previous underlying personality dimensions serve as shared risk factors for both groups of disorders. Nevertheless, this assumption might be a partial explanation when considering the heterogeneity of PDs and SUDs. Our aim is to clarify the association existing between personality dimensions, personality pathology and alcohol use disorder (AUD). Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: We proposed a case-control study including 45 AUD treatment-seeking individuals (31 with PD [AUD- PD]; 14 without PD [AUD-noPD]) and 20 healthy controls (HCs) self-report screened for SUDs and PDs. We administered the personality inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) in both groups. Data analysis was based on independent t-test and one way ANOVA using adequate Bonferroni corrections and bootstrapping procedures. Cohen��?s d and its 95% confidence interval were computed as effect size measure. Findings: AUD subjects showed higher levels in negative affectivity, detachment, dis-inhibition and psychoticism than HCs. AUD individuals were also characterized by higher levels in specific PID-5 facets, such as: emotional liability, perseveration, anhedonia, depressivity, distractibility, impulsivity, eccentricity and perceptual dysregulation. AUD-PD patients differed from AUD-noPD individuals in detachment and antagonism dimensions as well as in a specific facet such as withdrawal. Interestingly, AUD-noPD and HCs did not differ from each other in any PID-5 dimension and facet. PID-5 dimensions and facets were not related to AUD severity and its onset. Significance: The relationship between AUD, personality dimensions and pathology goes beyond a role of negative emotionality and impulsivity. A detailed description of the various theoretical perspectives implicated in previous findings as well as the limits of the study will be discussed.
Marco Cavicchioli has expertise in “Study and evaluation of psychotherapeutic processes”. Particularly, his interests are related to the explanation of underlying processes implicated in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) efficacy. In this context, he is studying the role of some dimensions strictly associated with DBT model, such as emotional dysregulation and mindfulness, as well as other aspects not primary implicated in DBT, such as experiential avoidance, motivation for change and group dynamics. Eventually, these fields of study are leading him in evaluating the efficacy of DBT in other clinical setting, especially in substance use disorders treatment.