Psychopathy dimensions and substance use: evidence from a non-institutionalized adult population
Abstract
Introduction: Mental health in Lebanon has been profoundly affected by recent crises, altering the patterns of substance use and psychiatric presentations. In this context, the link between psychopathy and substance use is relevant, but is underexplored in Arab cultural settings. This study aimed to assess the relationship between psychopathy and substance use in the Arab world, focusing on whether individuals in a Lebanese non-institutionalized population who use substances have higher psychopathy traits than those who do not.
Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted among 534 non-institutionalized Lebanese adults between May and June 2021. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire including the validated Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy (LSRP) scale, TAPS (the Tobacco, Alcohol, Prescription medication, and Other substance use screener), the short version of the Urgency, Premeditation (lack of), Perseverance (lack of), Sensation Seeking, Positive Urgency, Impulsive Behavior scale (S-UPPS-P), and the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) questionnaire. Bivariate analysis and multivariable regression were used to assess the association between psychopathy traits and substance use, adjusting for relevant factors.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 36.58 ± 11.94 years, and approximately 80% were women. Callousness was linked with tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use, while antisocial traits were associated with tobacco and prescription drug…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a cross-sectional, done in people. Its evidence level is 4 of 5 (Low · observational). Observational designs can show an association but not prove cause.
Read the paper
Related studies
- The neurocircuitry of addiction: an overview
- Gender Differences in Human Brain: A Review
- Stratified medicine for mental disorders
- The neurobiology of drug addiction: cross-species insights into the dysfunction and recovery of the prefrontal cortex
- Annual Research Review: DNA methylation as a mediator in the association between risk exposure and child and adolescent psychopathology
- Schizophrenia: The new etiological synthesis
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.