Depressive symptoms frequently co-occur in alcohol dependence. However, little is known about the relationship between depressive symptoms and personality functioning in alcohol dependence.

The aim of this study was to reveal the role of depressive symptoms in the adaptivity of personality functioning. Therefore, alcohol-dependent patients with and without depressive symptoms, depressed patients and normal controls were compared along the personality factors of the biosocial model.

Depressed patients (N = 57), alcohol-dependent individuals with (N = 41) and without (N = 41) depressive symptoms, and normal controls (N = 55) were involved. The Beck Depression Inventory was administered to determine the severity of depressive symptoms. Subjects were tested using Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised, which measures 4 temperament: novelty-seeking (NS); harm avoidance (HA); reward dependence (RD); persistence (P) and 3 character dimensions: self-directedness (SD); cooperativeness (C); self-transcendence (ST).

Alcohol-dependent groups showed higher level of NS than depressed and control subjects (F = 6.33, p < 0.001). Alcohol addicted patients with depressive symptoms and depressed individuals scored lower level of HA than the other groups (F = 21.41, p < 0.001). In the case of P the lowest score was observed among alcohol-dependent individuals with depressive symptoms (F = 3.63, p = 0.014). On the SD (F = 25.25, p < 0.001) and C (F = 3.61, p = 0.014) all 3 patient groups showed significantly lower scores than normal controls.

Based on the severity of depressive symptoms, alcohol addicted persons show different personality profile. Our results suggest that depressive symptoms are related to maladaptive personality functioning in alcohol dependence; therefore it has to be considered during the treatment process. TÁMOP-4.2.1/B-09/1/KONV-2010-0005