Mediating Role of Impulsivity in the Relationship Between Pathological Personality Traits and Externalizing Spectrum Disorders in Men With Substance Use Disorders

This study aims to investigate the mediating role of impulsivity in the relationship between the pathological personality traits and externalizing spectrum disorders in men with substance use disorders (SUDs).

This is a correlational cross-sectional study using the structural equation modeling (SEM). The study population consists of all men with a history of SUDs who were undergoing outpatient treatment in addiction treatment centers in Sanandaj, Iran, of whom 349 were selected using a convenience sampling method. The instruments were the personality inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5), the externalizing spectrum inventory (ESI), and the Barratt impulsivity scale (BIS). Data were analyzed in SPSS software, version 22 and AMOS version 24.

The results showed that the PID-5 pathological personality traits of antagonism (β=0.593, P=0.001), detachment (β=0.513, P=0.001), disinhibition (β=0.616, P=0.001), negative affectivity (β=0.565, P=0.001), and psychoticism (β=0.541, P=0.001) had significant and positive correlations with the ESI score. Furthermore, the bootstrap test results showed that the BIS dimensions of cognitive, motor and non-planning impulsivity significantly mediated the relationship between five pathological personality traits and externalizing spectrum disorders (P<0.05).

Given the mediating role of impulsivity in the relationship between pathological personality traits and externalizing spectrum disorders in men with SUDs, more attention should be paid to these constructs for prevention and treatment of SUDs.