Stress Has a Link to Drug Usage Behavior but It Is Determined By the Type of Personality and Coping Strategies Applied

Drug users perceive more stress in their life that make them vulnerable for such behavior to reduce stress. However this behavior is not the response observed uniformly in every individual.
By Harish Kumar Sharma Dec. 14, 2015

Drug users perceive more stress in their life that make them vulnerable for such behavior to reduce stress. However this behavior is not the response observed uniformly in every individual. The personality type and coping strategy are important determinants in this respect. Neuroticism makes drug users to perceive more stress even for trivial problems. Extravert drug users experience excitement through drug using behavior. Openness and conscientiousness similarly exposes the person to initiate this behavior. On other side drug using coping strategy helps to deny the presence of stress. Projection coping style let them to blame others for their problems.Drug users dependence on others get them regress in their response to stress.Similarly they apply isolation and turning against self lesser than non users.

Dr. Harish Kumar Sharma in his recent paper stated that drug users and non users clearly were having difference in perceiving the stress in their life. Drug users perceive that they are experiencing more stress in their life. Drugs were considered the easy way to get relieve from the stress. Type of personality acts as a catalyst that enhances the drug usage behavior. In the paper, drug users were found more neurotic than non users. It means that they were more anxious, so take even simple problems of life severely stressful. It is possibly responsible for the difference in perception of stress in their life. Dr. Sharma further stated that drug users were more extroverts in personality. Extroverts are excitement seekers, less responsible and poor onmorality. Such personality characteristics increase the possibility of drug using behavior. In paper drug users were also higher on openness, means they were more impulsive, restless, optimistic and aggressive. Interestingly drug users were also found high on conscientiousness. It reflects that drug users plan their behavior more than non users. On all such observations, the personality type was a strong determinant of drug use behavior.

Dr. Sharma further mentioned that drug users and non users also differ on coping strategies they applied. Denial is the easy way to ignore the presence of stress. So, in paper drug users were found applying denial more than non users. Drug users were found poor in applying intellectual strategies to resolve their stressful situation. Projection means blaming others for one’s problems. In paper, it was found that drug users blame more others for their problems. It was also found that drug users apply regression more than non users. It means they seek other’s help in stressful situation. Turning against self was also applied less by drug users. They criticize themselves very less.

The paper is truly successful in pointing differences in drug users and non users on perception of stress, personality type and coping strategies in drug users and non users.

Paper link:
http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/journal/paperinfo?journalid=201&doi=10.11648/j.pbs.20150406.11

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