Personality in Alcohol Use Disorder: A Study Focused on Sex Differences

Research on sex differences in personality profiles among individuals with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) remains limited. This study aimed to examine sex differences in personality traits and cluster personality types in AUD patients attending to an outpatient women’s alcohol treatment unit. Patients seeking alcohol detoxification treatment were assessed with the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III) after abstinence. Both dimensional trait scores and cluster personality types distribution were analyzed. A total of 216 subjects, 114 women (53%) and 102 men (47%), participated in the study. No sex differences were found for paranoid, schizoid or schizotypal traits scores or Cluster A types. Women exhibited higher scores on the Cluster B histrionic trait (48 ± 22 vs. 39 ± 23, p = 0.001), with no differences in antisocial, borderline, or narcissistic trait scores. Narcissistic personality disorder was more prevalent in men than women (44% vs. 20%, p = 0.01). Cluster C dependent (52 ± 24 vs. 46 ± 20, p = 0.002) and obsessive-compulsive (54 ± 20 vs. 43 ± 19, p = 0.001) traits scores were elevated in women, but only dependent personality disorder prevalence differed categorically (38% women vs. 15% men, p = 0.01). Employing both dimensional and cluster approaches enriches personality research in AUD. Dependent personality disorder in Cluster C robustly differentiates sexes, while Cluster A and B personality patterns show minimal sex differences when both approaches are considered.