Personality and demographic characteristics of parents who occasionally use psychoactive substances.

Abstract

Although parenting is considered a turning point that reduces non-normative behaviours, some parents choose to occasionally continue using various drugs. The present study examines the personality and demographic characteristics of these parents by comparing three parent groups: those who do not use at all, those who use only cannabis and those who use other substances. Three self-report quantitative questionnaires: Demographic, Patterns of use of psychoactive substances and the Big Five Personality traits questionnaire, were administered to 627 parents. The findings show that the proportion of unmarried and secular men is higher in the group of parents who use substances. They also were found to be younger and less educated than the other parent's groups. We examined the parents' personality characteristics using the Big Five model and found that parents who use substances occasionally exhibit higher levels of extraversion and openness to experiences, and lower levels of conscience. The differences found in the characteristics of parents who use cannabis to those who use other substances, indicate the normativeness of cannabis use among parents, and reflect the need for intervention programs among parents who use substances, which may have a great influence on drug use among their children.