INVESTIGATING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NOVELTY SEEKING WITH TRADITIONAL AND CHEMICAL SUBSTANCE - DEPENDENT: A CASE- CONTROL STUDY

Background and Aim : Substance dependence is a physical and mental illness which due to its progressive nature endangers the health of the individual and society in all its dimensions. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between the temperament character of the novelty seeking and its dimensions among the three groups of traditional, chemical drug dependence, and control group in the city of Ilam. Methods : The method of this study was case control. The statistical population of the study consisted of all substance- dependent (traditional, chemical) and non-dependent people in the city of Ilam. The research sample consisted of 210 subjects (70 people as chemical drugs dependence, 70 people as traditional dependence and 70 as the control group). Drug dependence groups were people who stayed at addiction quit camps in the city of Ilam and the control group was also selected by available sampling in the city. The data collection tool was the scale of Novelty Seeking by Cloninger s temperament and character inventory. Data were analyzed using Chi-square test, post hoc test, and SPSS-22 software.Results : The results of the study showed that the mean score of novelty seeking and its dimensions in drug-dependent groups was higher than that of the control group (p<0.01). Novelty Seeking increases the risk of traditional and chemical drug dependence for up to 7% and 16% respectively. Conclusion : Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that the novelty seeking character and its dimensions in drug-dependent groups was higher than that of the control group.

Keywords:

Novelty Seeking , Traditional Drugs , Chemical Drugs.