The relationship between personality traits and coping strategies with permanence in the treatment process in patients undergoing methadone maintenance treatment

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background The increasing tendency to use drugs, especially with the lowering of the age of addiction and its prevalence among young people, is one of the major social problems, and many efforts have been made to investigate the relationship between drug use and personality structures. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2020–2022 on opioid-addicted men who were referred to an addiction treatment clinic undergoing maintenance treatment with methadone for at least 6 months. Demographic information, the NEO personality characteristics questionnaire, and Lazarus’s coping strategies were completed by the patients. Results 150 patients with an average age of 36.78 ± 9.03 years were investigated. The results showed that the score of the personality dimension of conscientiousness had a significant relationship with the rate of persistence in treatment (P-value < .05). The score of accepting responsibility had a significant inverse relationship with the rate of persistence in treatment (P-value < .05). However, other components of personality traits and coping strategies didn’t have a significant relationship with the rate of persistence in treatment (P-value > .05). Conclusion Different personality dimensions and different levels of self-efficacy and the choice and pattern of coping style are effective factors in the tendency or non-tendency of people to use drugs and addiction.