Evaluation of the relationship between childhood traumas and dissociative experiences and dark triad personality traits in gambling and substance addicts

Addiction is a multidimensional public health problem and is a chronic, neurobiological and life-long psychiatric disease in which genetic, psychosocial and environmental factors play a role in its etiology. According to research on addiction and psychotraumatology, a large proportion of gambling and substance use disorder cases are traumatised. When the relevant literature is examined, it is seen that 80% of gambling and substance use disorder cases have traumatic experiences and these cases also have a high rate of abuse and neglect history. There is a lot of research showing a correlation between addiction, traumatic experiences and dissociation. In this doctoral thesis study, the relationship between childhood traumas, dissociative experiences and dark triad personality traits in gambling disorder and substance use disorder cases was examined from the perspective of modern psychotraumatology principles and dissoanalysis theory. In this context, the main objective of our study is to evaluate the relationship between childhood traumas and dissociative experiences and dark triad personality traits in gambling and substance addicts. This thesis study was conducted with 80 adult cases (40 of the cases had substance use disorder, 40 of them had gambling disorder) who applied to Antalya Training and Research Hospital Department of Psychiatry and Akdeniz University Addiction Treatment Center for diagnosis or treatment at between 15 November 2021 and 15 December 2023. In our doctoral thesis; the Demographic Information and Psychotraumatology Based Interview Form, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, the Dissociative Experiences Scale, the Addiction Profile Index Basic Form, the South Oaks Gambling Screen and the Dirty Dozen Scale were used. There is a negative relationship between participants' age group and the Addiction Profile Index Basic Form total score [r=-.516; p=.000], while there is statistically significant positive relationship between their ages and the South Oaks Gambling Screen total score [r=.417; p=.000]. The Dissociative Experiences Scale mean total score of gambling disorder sample (32.35) is statistically higher than the Dissociative Experiences Scale mean total score of substance use disorder sample (25.38). There is a statistically significant positive relationship between the Dissociative Experiences Scale total mean score of the substance use disorder sample and the Addiction Profile Index Basic Form total score [r=.340; p=.032]. There is a statistically significant positive relationship between the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire total score and the Dissociative Experiences Scale total mean score of gambling disorder and substance use disorder samples [r=.293; p=.008]. There is a statistically significant positive relationship between Dissociative Experiences Scale total mean score and the Dirty Dozen Scale total score of gambling disorder and substance use disorder samples [r=.313; p=.005]. The mean the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire total score of gambling disorder sample (43.97) is statistically higher than mean the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire total score of substance use disorder sample (38.47). There is a statistically significant positive relationship between the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire total score and the South Oaks Gambling Screen total score of gambling disorder and substance use disorder samples [r=.277; p=.013]. The Dirty Dozen Scale mean total score of gambling disorder sample (54.22) is statistically higher than the Dirty Dozen Scale mean total score of substance use disorder sample (36.67). There is a statistically significant positive relationship between the South Oaks Gambling Screen total score and the Dirty Dozen Scale total score of the gambling disorder sample [r=.383; p=.013]. According to the regression analysis findings regarding the predictive effect of emotional abuse, one of the sub-dimensions of Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, on dissociative experiences in gambling disorder cases, emotional abuse have a significant effect on dissociative experiences; the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire emotional abuse scores explain 11% of the variance in the Dissociative Experiences Scale scores [R2=.116; t=2.233; p=.032]. According to the regression analysis findings regarding the predictive effect of emotional abuse, one of the sub-dimensions of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, on the dark triad personality traits in gambling disorder cases, emotional abuse have a significant effect on the dark triad personality traits; the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire emotional abuse scores explain 12% of the variance in the Dirty Dozen Scale scores [R2=.123; t=2.205; p=.027]. According to the regression analysis findings regarding the predictive effect of dissociative experiences on the addiction level measured by the Addiction Profile Index Basic Form in substance use disorder cases, the dissociative experiences have a significant effect on addiction level and characteristics; the Dissociative Experiences Scale total mean scores explain 11% of the variance in the Addiction Profile Index Basic Form scores [R2=.116; t=2.229; p=.032]. This doctoral thesis is an original scientific study in terms of evaluating childhood traumas, dissociative experiences and dark triad personality traits in gambling disorder and substance use disorder cases from a modern psychotraumatology principles and dissoanalytic theory perspective for the first time. The study is also very important in terms of revealing that childhood traumas, dissociative experiences and dark triad personality traits are seen at high rates in gambling disorder and substance use disorder cases. Childhood traumas and dissociative experiences in gambling and substance addicts are cases that the main focal points that need to be addressed in terms of psychological treatment of these cases. In our doctoral study, the evaluation of the relationship and differences between gambling and substance addiction sample from the perspective of modern psychotraumatology principles and dissoanalytic theory will provide basic scientific contributions to future studies to be carried out in this context. Keywords: Gambling disorder; substance use disorder; modern psychotraumatology; dissoanalysis; childhood traumas; dissociative experiences; dark triad personality traits; behavioral addictions; crime