Personality Characteristics, Adjustment and Coping between Drug Addicts and Non-Addicts:A Psychosocial Perspective

Drug addiction is not an accidental process. Individual factors plays a pivotal role in dependence i.e., who will and who will not become addicted. It is found that even in highly prevalent areas there are individuals who are exposed to drug use, and with the help of will, strength of character or force of personality reject all contact with narcotic drugs. Personality factors, ones individual mechanism and family factors i.e. adjustment are determinants in the use of substance. Thus a need was felt to enhance the body of knowledge regarding personality characteristics, adjustment and coping processes in person with substance addicts. And our study is a first attempt with the aim to study the personality characteristics, adjustment and coping processes in person with substance addicts. Method: In the present study, a sample 100 male subjects (50 drug addicts and 50 non-addicts) were selected. Drug addict group matched with non addict on age, socio-economic status and educational level. The analysis included Independent sample t-test on Neuroticism scale questionnaire, Global adjustment scale and Ways of coping questionnaire scores between drug addicts and non addicts. Results: Results indicated that the mean scores of drug addicts were significantly high on submissiveness (p < 0.01), anxiety (p < 0.01) and overall neuroticism (p < 0.01). When different domains of adjustment compared our results revealed that drug addicts had significantly higher score on all the indices of adjustment such as emotional (p < 0.01), social (p < 0.01), health (p < 0.01) and family (p < 0.01). Finally when different domains of coping processes compared it was found that drug addicts scored significantly higher on distancing (p < 0.01), self controlling (p < 0.01), escape avoidance (p < 0.01), planful problem solving (p < 0.01) and positive reappraisal (p < 0.01). Conclusion: In conclusion our findings fit into the life process model of drug addiction, where addiction is not a disease but rather a habitual responses and source of gratification that can be understood in the context of social relationship or experiences. Such habitual responses can be altered through proper therapeutic deaddiction procedure and counselling for better adjustment in life.