Personality dimensions in mothers and sons: Relationship to adolescent substance misuse

The purpose of this study was to assess whether personality dimensions in mothers and in their sons predict alcohol and/or substance misuse (ASM) in severely disturbed adolescent boys who were largely from father-absent homes. The sample consisted of 42 adolescent male treatment probands and their mothers. The youths mean age was 15.8 years. All were placed in a residential center and all had conduct disorder diagnosis by DSM III-R criteria. Of the total, 86% met DSM III-R criteria for substance dependence. Alcohol and substance use and criminality were assessed through direct interview, selfreport and family interview. Maternal and adolescent personality dimensions were assessed through an abbreviated version of Cloningerʹs Tri-Dimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ; Cloninger, 1987b). The results indicated that maternal novelty seeking (NS) predicted adolescent alcohol and drug symptoms, but was not significantly related to the motherʹs own ASM. Probandsʹ NS predicted their own alcohol and drug dependence symptoms. In general, maternal ASM, maternal NS and proband NS all played some role in proband ASM. At the most severe level of adolescent drug dependence, the adolescentʹs own NS, when coupled with high maternal NS, rendered the youth most vulnerable to increased alcohol and drug dependent symptoms. The assessment of personality dimensions adds new perspectives to the study of families of adolescents with ASM. Maternal NS appears to contribute significantly to adolescent male ASM in largely father-absent homes.