Adolescents' who substance using and do not use, comparison of personality traits and self- esteem

Substance abuse which is one of the vital problems of community mental health is an important problem concerned with many disciplines due to its results, effects and additionally its social, mental and economic traits. Studies has revealed that personality traits are the risk factors which are the sources for substance use disorder and are along with low self esteem and anxiety and depression. Therefore; concepts such as personality traits and self esteem has been important interests of researchers.The aim of this research is to investigate the relation between psychological symptoms and self esteem, personality traits of teenagers who use drug and who not, and is to define whether these traits differentiate according to socio demographic variables.124 teenagers, 64 of whom use drug and 64 of whom not, has joined the research. In this research, five-factor personality inventory by Somer and her friends and brief symptom inventory by Derogatis and Rosenberg self esteem scale by Rosenberg have been employed. In addition, personal information form developed by researcher has been used to define the participants' personal and demographic characteristics.The findings supplied from personal information form by benefiting from package programme are expressed as percentage in the analysis of research findings. In comparison of quantitative variables, ?t test? for two independent groups, ?Mann Whitney U test? in the situation of theory assumptions not provided and ?Somers?d technique? in comparison of two dependent have been employed. ?One way Anova? in the situation of more than two groups, ?Kruskal-walls' test? in the situation of unsupplied theory assumptions and ?Tukey test? to find the group causing difference are benefited.According to research results, that teenagers using substance have lower agreeableness, concientionusness and openness contrary to teenagers who don't use substance, but they have high level of neuroticism has been found. In the comparisons made in terms of self-esteem that the teenagers using drugs have lower self-esteem is determined. Additionally, that among teenagers who have lower self-esteem have, the scores of neuroticism are high and who have higher self-esteem, the scores of agreeableness are high, has been determined.Evaluated in terms of psychological symptoms, the scores of substance use, anxiety, depression, negative self, somatisation and hostility were higher. These results show that addicted teenagers have intensive psychological symptoms. Considering the relation between addicted teenagers' self-esteem and psychological symptoms that those with lower self-esteem have higher level of anxiety, depression, negative self and somatisation has been observed.İn comparison of addicted and not addicted teenagers' personality traits in terms of their genders, that girls using substance have lower concientionusness level than the groups who don't use substance, has been determined. Those boys using substance have lower level of extraversion, agreeableness, concientionusness and openness than the boys not using substance, but the level of their neuroticism is higher, is determined. With regard to variable age, that drug addicts between the age of 17 and 20 have higher score of agreeableness than the group between the age of 14 and 16 is found. In terms of level of their education, the average openness of the addicted teenagers who have received education between 9 and 14 years is higher than the group who have received education between 3 and 8 years. At the same time, meaningful difference has been found also according to variables such as the addicted teenagers' parents job and quantity of brother and socio-economic variables.Keywords: Substance use disorder, personality traits, self-esteem, adolescence