Personality traits and their associations with substance use among adolescents

The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is an association between personality traits and self-reported risk consumption of substances among adolescents. A further aim was to evaluate whether the personality questionnaire Health relevant Personality Inventory (HP5i) can be used in a population of adolescents. The study participants included 3419 male and female adolescents with a median age of 18 years. The results showed that the respondents with risk consumption of substances had significantly higher levels of antagonism and impulsivity and lower levels of hedonic capacity, alexithymia and negative affectivity compared to those with no risk consumption of substances. The HP5 inventory could potentially be a valuable complementary instrument for investigating future health development among adolescents.