Relationship of Temperament-Character, Abnormal Dimensions of Personality, and Self-control with Addiction Tendency in University Students

Objective: Substance abuse is affected by many biological, social, and psychological factors. Some personality traits, temperament, and self-control skills play an important role in it. The purpose of this study was to predict the tendency toward substance use in university students based on temperament-character and abnormal dimensions of personality with the mediating role of self-control. Method: A sample of 273 students of Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University was selected through random cluster sampling method and filled out  Personality Inventory for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–Fifth Edition (PID-5), Temperament and Character Inventory, Iranian Addiction Potential Scale, and Tanji's Self-Control Scale. Results: The results showed that addiction tendency is related to novelty seeking, harm-avoidance, collaboration, and self-directedness (P <0.05). The obtained model showed that negative affect and collaboration could predict addiction tendency under the mediating role of self-control; and the dimensions of detachment, psychoticism, and antagonism were directly correlated with addiction tendency (p <0.05). Conclusion: With regard to investigating the dimensions of personality in addiction, this study showed that abnormal personality dimensions and temperament-character dimensions have a significant role in drug use tendency in student population. With the identification of these dimensions and characteristics, it is possible to devise appropriate strategies for preventing this phenomenon in student environments.