The relationship of expressed emotion and personality traits with the course of treatment in alcohol and substance use disorder

Introduction: While addiction is a disease that not only includes the habitual and obligatory use of drugs but also it is a growing public health issue. Addiction is a lifelong disease which proceeds along with remissions and relapses. Relapse rates are especially higher in the early periods of the addiction, and most of the time the currently available treatments cannot offer sufficient benefit. This study aimed to investigate the effect of expressed emotion and personality traits on the treatment procedure in alcohol and substance use disorder. Method: This study was conducted at the Alcohol and Substance Addiction Treatment Center (ASATC) of Sakarya University Training and Research Hospital with the patients admitted to the polyclinic between April 2018 and April 2019. The study was conducted with 102 patients who met the criteria of DSM-5 Substance Use Disorder and their key relatives. The Socio-Demographic Data Form, Addiction Profile Index-Implementer Version (API-I), Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), were implemented on the patients, and the Socio-Demographic Data Form, and Expressed Emotion (EE) scale were implemented on the key relatives who provide support to these patients. Six months after the first meeting the patients were conducted and their substance use states were questioned. The collected data were analyzed through SPSS 22. Results: A correlation between the high ratio of the key relatives' expressed emotion and early relapse was found. However, no statistically significant effect of the personality traits of patients on the prognosis was found. Conclusion: The finding on the existence of a correlation between the high ratio of key relatives' emotional expression and the early relapse in alcohol and substance use disorder patients revealed the importance of the family environment and their communication with their relatives in the treatment of the addiction. It is known that the treatment approaches against addiction are mostly patient-oriented; however, the present study revealed the need for a multifaceted approach which involves family members as well. The lack of a statistically significant relationship between the personality traits and early relapse may have two reasons; the limited number of the participants may have led to this finding, or personality traits have less effect on the treatment process than previously reported. Keywords: Alcohol use disorder, substance use disorder, prognosis, expressed emotion, personality traits