Comparison of Substance Use and Personality Characteristics and Psychiatric Symptoms of Individuals Using Cannabis and Synthetic Cannabinoids with Healthy Controls

Abstract

In this study substance use personality traits and psychiatric symptoms of individuals using cannabis and synthetic cannabinoid were examined and compared with healthy controls. A total of 52 participants who applied to Ege University Faculty of Medicine Department of Mental Health and Diseases Substance Addiction Treatment Center between March 2015 and June 2017 who used cannabis for at least 1 year in the past and 51 participants who used synthetic cannabinoids for at least 1 year in the past constituted the participant group with a history of substance use and 57 Ege University employees/students without any substance use history constituted the control group participants. The age range was determined as 18-54. Hacettepe Personality Inventory was used to evaluate the personality traits of the participants and the Symptom Screening Test-90 was used to examine the psychopathological symptom levels. Participants with a history of synthetic cannabinoid use evaluated by Hacettepe Personality Inventory had a significantly lower score on general adjustment personal adjustment social adjustment self-actualization emotional stability neurotic tendencies psychotic symptoms family relations social relations social norms antisocial tendencies sub-dimensions and they scored significantly higher in all Symptom Screening Test 90 sub-dimensions. The study suggests that adding social adaptation and psychoeducational programs to medical and psychosocial improvement studies in the field of addiction will increase success.