Personality organisation, traumatic childhood experiences, and alcohol use in a non-clinical group

Abstract

Introduction and objective: Psychodynamic concepts assume that early experiences in relationships with close family members influence mental health. Kernberg’s model of personality organisation also assumes that the structure of personality depends on object relations, and the adaptability of individual dimensions of personality organisation will depend on, among others, quality of care in early childhood. In recent years, the self-medication hypothesis has become increasingly popular, arguing that alcohol use is secondary to personality difficulties. The research presented in the article aimed to assess the relationships between dimensions of personality organisation, traumatic childhood experiences, and alcohol use. Materials and methods: The sample consisted of 148 Polish adults, including 85 women and 63 men. The mean age was M = 32.61 (standard deviation, SD = 9.29). The Inventory of Personality Organization, the Childhood Experience Questionnaire (CEQ-58), and the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) were used. Results: The results indicate positive low to moderate correlations between all personality dimensions and the severity of various adverse experiences. Alcohol use also increases with greater disturbances across all dimensions of personality organisation. Moreover, as traumatic experiences such as physical abuse, physical and emotional neglect, and environmental instability increase, the tendency to use alcohol also increases. Three clusters of individuals with different configurations of the investigated variables were also identified. Conclusions: The research has confirmed the relationships between personality organisation, traumatic childhood experiences, and alcohol use reported in the literature, thus prompting reflection on the use of alcohol as a form of self-medication.