Externalizing personality characteristics define clinically relevant subgroups of alcohol use disorder

Ildikó Kovács; Bernadett I Gál; Zsolt Horváth; Ildikó Demeter; Sándor Rózsa; Zoltán Janka; Róbert Urbán; Zsolt Demetrovics; Bálint Andó

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0265577

Externalizing personality characteristics define clinically relevant subgroups of alcohol use disorder

PLoS One. 2022 Mar 18;17(3):e0265577. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265577. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Ildikó Kovács¹, Bernadett I Gál¹, Zsolt Horváth^{2

3}, Ildikó Demeter¹, Sándor Rózsa^{4

5}, Zoltán Janka¹, Róbert Urbán³, Zsolt Demetrovics^{3

6}, Bálint Andó¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.
² Doctoral School of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
³ Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
⁴ Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States of America.
⁵ Institute of Psychology, Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary, Budapest, Hungary.
⁶ Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming, University of Gibraltar, Gibraltar, Gibraltar.

Abstract

Aims: Higher levels of externalizing characteristics, i.e. impulsivity, novelty seeking and aggression, could contribute to the development, progression and severity of alcohol use disorder (AUD). The present study aims to explore whether these externalizing characteristics together have a potential group-forming role in AUD using latent profile analysis (LPA).

Methods: Externalizing characteristics of 102 AUD patients were analyzed using LPA to explore the group-forming role of externalizing symptoms; groups were compared in terms of demographic and alcohol-related variables, indices of psychopathological, depressive and anxiety symptom severity.

Results: LPA revealed and supported a two-group model based on externalizing symptoms. The group with higher levels of externalizing symptoms showed significantly elevated levels of alcohol-related and anxio-depressive symptoms.

Conclusions: Externalizing characteristics converge and have a group-forming role in chronic AUD, and are associated with a more severe form of AUD. By making the diagnostic category less heterogeneous, these different subtypes within AUD may provide aid in tailoring treatments to patients' specific needs.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Alcohol Drinking
Alcoholism* / diagnosis
Humans
Impulsive Behavior
Personality
Psychopathology

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the SZTE-ÁOK-KKA-2019-HG Geza Hetenyi Grant. Zsolt Demetrovics’s contribution was supported by the Hungarian National Research, Development and Innovation Office (KKP126835; KP131635; KP134807). Zsolt Horváth and Róbert Urbán were supported by the Hungarian National Research, Development, and Innovation Office [NKFIH-1157-8/2019-DT]. Zsolt Horváth was also supported by the ÚNKP-21-4 New National Excellence Program of the Ministry for Innovation and Technology from the source of the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund. All funding sources had no role in the study design, collection, analysis or interpretation of the data, writing the manuscript, or the decision to submit the paper for publication.