Substance use among adolescents in Taiwan: associated personality traits, incompetence, and behavioral/emotional problems

Abstract

Background: Despite that adolescent substance use is increasingly prevalent throughout the world and leads to increased risk of progression to illicit drug use, few studies have examined in detail individual features that are associated with such use. We aimed to examine personality traits, incompetence, and behavioral/emotional problems in relation to adolescent substance use and possible interactions between these factors.

Methods: Junior high school adolescents (N = 905) randomly selected from Taipei in 1996 completed a questionnaire consisting of substance use experience, the Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (JEPQ), and the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ). Students' parents (N = 854) were asked to complete the Child Behavior Checklist. Logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between substance use and personality traits or behavioral problems.

Results: The most commonly used substance was liquid substance (alcohol and refreshing beverage), followed by tobacco and betel nut with an age-related trend in boys. Associated factors of substance use included higher Extroversion and lower Lie Scale (as measured in the JEPQ), higher Novelty Seeking (as measured in the TPQ), poorer School Competence, and more Delinquent Behavior, Aggressive Behavior, and Somatic Complaints. The associations remained unchanged with potential confounders controlled for.

Conclusions: Adolescents who use substance have specific individual features that are readily assessable by existing instruments. This bears important implications for the early intervention of substance abuse in adolescents.