Personality traits and their association with drug use and harm reduction strategies among polysubstance users who attend music festivals

Abstract

Although the relationship between personality traits and substance use has been well documented, studies have not analyzed this relationship in a sample of polysubstance users who attend festivals. Moreover, very few studies, focused on alcohol users, have determined the contribution of personality traits to the use of protective strategies aimed at reducing drug-related harms. Objective: to determine the relationship between personality traits and, poly-substance use and protective strategies among dance festival attendees that use multiple drugs. We surveyed 1226 participants who self-identified as polysubstance users and dance festival attendees. Substance Use Risk Profiles Scale was used to assess four personality traits. Information on the use of 15 substances and nine harm reduction strategies was collected. Higher levels of impulsivity, sensation seeking and hopelessness were associated to increased odds of using different substances, and to extensive polysubstance use. Increases in impulsivity scores were related to a lower probability of frequently using the nine protective strategies explored. Our findings suggest that the probability of using drugs and harm reduction strategies among polysubstance users is linked to personality traits, what may be useful for designing tailored interventions aimed at reducing drug-related negative consequences among this population.