Temperament and substance abuse in schizophrenia: is there a relationship?

The influence of temperament on substance abuse in schizophrenia is poorly understood, whereas it is known to play an important role in other clinical populations. In a sample of 28 male schizophrenics, Cloninger's dimensions of temperament were measured with the use of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ). Levels of four commonly used substances were recorded. There was a significant correlation between the novelty-seeking dimension and past use of alcohol, cannabis, and caffeine and current use of caffeine and nicotine. There was no relationship between substance use and clinical symptoms or demographic variables. The possible implications of abnormal mean TPQ scores in the sample as well as a weak correlation between symptom patterns and TPQ scores are discussed. The findings suggest that novelty-seeking type behaviors contribute to substance use in schizophrenia.