A new study suggests that certain personality traits increase a person's vulnerability to severe alcohol addiction. In particular, one of these properties is the craving for excellence or perfectionism.
Alcohol dependence is a severe mental disorder that affects more than 10 million people in Russia. This is one of the main causes of death among the population, classified as preventable. Victims of alcohol dependence may have varying degrees of this disorder depending on diagnostic criteria. Although there are no major or dominant individual risk factors for addiction, age, gender, family background, and socioeconomic factors can all contribute to the emergence of uncontrolled cravings for alcohol. Back in 2018, it was found that people with impaired cognitive control, impulsivity and negative emotions are more likely to experience alcohol addiction.
Scientists told how perfectionism leads to insomnia
And now a new study has shown that personality traits such as perfectionism and self-criticism, which lead to some violations of social bonds, can become risk factors for developing severe alcohol dependence. The Belgian scientists recruited 65 adults who had problems with alcohol and 65 of their peers in the control group without these problems to their observations. Each volunteer filled out a special questionnaire with which it was possible to compile a scale of the level of perfectionism. It included, among other things, self-oriented perfectionism, i.e. exaggerated performance standards that were placed on the individual by themselves, socially prescribed perfectionism or high expectations of other people, and other-oriented perfectionism or setting unrealistically high standards for others.
Natalia Vodianova on the verge of alcoholism
After processing all the data, it was found that the victims of alcohol addiction had a higher level of anxiety and depressive symptoms than in the control group. When the researchers controlled for anxiety and depressive symptoms, they also found that drinkers exhibited more self-oriented and socially ascribed perfectionist traits than the control group. In particular, they displayed unrealistic personal standards and heightened sensitivity to other people's expectations. Self-oriented perfectionism in victims of alcohol dependence may be more common among men and among those with higher levels of education. (READ MORE)