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Personality Structure Features Associated with Early Dropout in Patients with Substance-Related Disorders and Comorbid Personality Disorders

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Abstract

This study aims at investigating factors associated with early dropout in dual diagnosis patients, considering socio-demographic, diagnostic and personality structure variables. We hypothesized that the personality structure of the patient will show stronger associations with dropout, as compared to descriptive variables. Forty-seven patients consecutively admitted in a dual diagnosis residential treatment unit were administered the Structured Interview of Personality Organization (STIPO), the Structured Clinical Interview for Axis II Disorders (SCID II), the Response Evaluation Measure 71 (REM71), the Symptom Check List 90–R (SCL90-R), and the Borderline Personality Disorder Check List (BPDCL). Significant differences emerged between the dropout and no-dropout group: Investments and self-coherence problems (STIPO) were higher among dropouts; moreover, in the dropout group a significantly higher number of patients showed a borderline personality organization (88.9 %). Results support the use of structural interviews in the assessment of dual diagnosis patients; implications regarding research and clinical practice are discussed.

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Conflict of Interest

The Authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000. Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell’Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126, Milano, Italy

    Emanuele Preti, Chiara Rottoli, Serena Dainese, Rossella Di Pierro & Fabio Madeddu

  2. Casa di Cura “CREST”, Piazzale Baracca 1, 20123, Milano, Italy

    Fabio Rancati

Authors
  1. Emanuele Preti
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  2. Chiara Rottoli
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  3. Serena Dainese
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  4. Rossella Di Pierro
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  5. Fabio Rancati
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  6. Fabio Madeddu
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Correspondence to Emanuele Preti.

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Preti, E., Rottoli, C., Dainese, S. et al. Personality Structure Features Associated with Early Dropout in Patients with Substance-Related Disorders and Comorbid Personality Disorders. Int J Ment Health Addiction 13, 536–547 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-015-9540-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-015-9540-7

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