From traits to trouble: Exploring the role of Drug Abuse between Clinical Personality and Criminal Behaviour

Abayomi O. Olaseni ORCID iD

Issue: Vol. 7 No. 4 2026 Article 6 pp. 423 – 432
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.2026746 Published online 21st May 2026.

© 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Views: 31
19 Downloads

DOWNLOAD PDF

This study investigated the mediating role of drug use history in the relationship between clinical personality patterns and criminal behaviour among convicted inmates, a topic that remains underexplored. A total of 450 convicted inmates from Kwara State participated, with ages ranging from 19 to 52 years (M = 36.7 ± 0.7). The study employed an ex post facto design with purposive sampling. Standardised instruments employed included the Drug Abuse Screening Test, the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory, and the Brief Criminal Attitude Scale. The results revealed that clinical personality traits significantly predicted the previous drug use and abuse of the individuals (a-path: b = 0.28, t = 9.79, p < .01). In turn, drug use history was a significant predictor of criminal behaviour (b-path: b = 0.06, t = 3.68, p < .001). Moreover, clinical personality traits exerted a direct effect on criminal tendencies, even when drug use was considered (c-path: b = 0.02, t = 5.12, p < .05). Mediation analysis indicated that drug use history partially mediated the link between clinical personality and criminal behaviour (c′-path: b = 0.45, t = 14.07, p < .01; bootstrap CI = 0.007 to 0.027). In conclusion, the study shows that drug abuse serves as a significant but partial mediator in the relationship between personality and crime. These findings underscore the importance of structured psychological interventions and integrated treatment approaches that target both clinical personality traits and substance use histories to reduce criminal behaviour and recidivism.

Keywords: Convicted Inmates, Criminal Behaviour, Clinical Personality Patterns, Drug Use History

Beaver, Kevin M, Brian B Boutwell, J C Barnes, Michael G Vaughn, and Matt DeLisi. “The Association between Psychopathic Personality Traits and Criminal Justice Outcomes: Results from a Nationally Representative Sample of Males and Females.” Crime & Delinquency 63, no. 6 (2017): 708–30.

Bjelajac, Željko. “The Concept of Criminal Profiling in Contemporary Crime Suppression Policies.” Kultura Polisa 21, no. 2 (2024): 44–75.

Bo, Sune, Liselotte Pedersen, Karl Bang Christensen, and Kirsten Rasmussen. “Psychopathy in a Forensic Sample–the Factor Structure of the PCL: SV in a Danish Forensic Sample.” Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 60, no. 5 (2019): 447–55.

Canpolat, E, D Koca, and E H Yukseloglu. “Relationship between Impulsivity and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in Forensic Sciences.” NOFOR 3, no. 1 (2024): 16–20.

Castillo-Abdul, Bárbara, Eglée Ortega Fernandez, and Luis M Romero-Rodriguez. “Corporate Social Responsibility Communication of Male Luxury Fashion Brands: Analysis on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.” Management Decision 62, no. 2 (2024): 471–91.

Castillo, E., B., . Cobo Rodríguez, M López-Torrecillas, D. C. López-Torrecillas, and & Muñoz López, L. F. “ Impulsivity in Antisocial Personality Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder in Prison Population,” 2024.

Choy, Olivia, and Adrian Raine. “The Neurobiology of Antisocial Personality Disorder.” Neuropharmacology 261 (2024): 110150.

Claro, Heloísa Garcia, Márcia Aparecida Ferreira de Oliveira, Janet C Titus, Ivan Filipe de Almeida Lopes Fernandes, Paula Hayasi Pinho, and Rosana Ribeiro Tarifa. “Drug Use, Mental Health and Problems Related to Crime and Violence: Cross-Sectional Study.” Revista Latino-Americana de Enfermagem 23, no. 6 (2015): 1173–80.

Coid, Jeremy W. “Assessment of Personality Disorder, Psychopathy and Associated Offending Behaviour.” In Seminars in Forensic Psychiatry, 262. Cambridge University Press Cambridge, 2024.

Cunha, Olga, and Rui Abrunhosa Gonçalves. “Male Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence: A Comparison Between Incarcerated and Community Offenders.” International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 62, no. 11 (August 21, 2018): 3260–77. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X17741070.

D’Acci, Luca. “Urban Quality of Life Estimates.” In Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research, 7433–44. Springer, 2024.

Daldegan-Bueno, Dimitri, and Benedikt Fischer. “The Association between Cocaine Product Use and Violence Outcomes in Brazil: A Comprehensive, Systematized Review.” Aggression and Violent Behavior 74 (2024): 101891.

Daniel, Ikuomola Adediran. “Poverty, Road Culture and Deviance among Areaboys in Lagos Central Neighbourhood.” International Journal of Prevention and Treatment 1, no. 1 (2012): 1–10.

Delcea, Cristian, and Alexandra Enache. “Personality Traits as Predictor of Crime.” Rom J Leg Med 29, no. 2 (2021): 227–31.

Dietze, Paul, Rebecca Jenkinson, Campbell Aitken, Mark Stoove, Damien Jolley, Matthew Hickman, and Thomas Kerr. “The Relationship between Alcohol Use and Injecting Drug Use: Impacts on Health, Crime and Wellbeing.” Drug and Alcohol Dependence 128, no. 1–2 (2013): 111–15.

Edwards, Emily R, Gabriella Epshteyn, Caroline K Diehl, Danny Ruiz, Brettland Coolidge, Nicole H Weiss, and Lynda Stein. “Prison or Treatment? Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Inequities in Mental Health Care Utilization and Criminal Justice History among Incarcerated Persons with Borderline and Antisocial Personality Disorders.” Law and Human Behavior 48,no.2 (2024): 104.

Egwu, C. Nwogbo-Egwu, and A. C. Udensi. “Youth Unemployment And Rising Crime Rates In Nigeria,” 2024.

Hinds, Akiko. “The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-IV (MCMI-IV) Personality and Clinical Scales of Male Sex Offenders versus Male Drug Offenders at an Outpatient Forensic Site.”  Adler University, 2022.

Hunduh, A. V., A. Y. Izang, and F. B. Hunduh. “Relationship between Drug Abuse and Crime in Jos North Local Government Area, Plateau State, Nigeria. .” Lapai International Journal of Management and Social Sciences,  16, no. 1 (2024): 216–28.

Hurezan, Liliana, Andreea Turi, Andrei Ion, and Laura Visu-Petra. “Dark and Bright Personality Dimensions as Predictors of Criminal Behavior and Recidivism.” Scientific Reports 14, no. 1 (2024): 18565.

Isaac, Nungala Usman. “Behaviour Disorders of Childhood and Adolescence: Implications for Education in Nigeria.” Bulletin of Islamic Research 2, no. 4 (2024): 573–90.

Jakupi, Shaban. “The Influence of Drug Addiction on Criminal Behavior.” JUSTICIA–International Journal of Legal Sciences 12, no. 21–22 (2024): 249–60.

Krug, Etienne G, James A Mercy, Linda L Dahlberg, and Anthony B Zwi. “The World Report on Violence and Health.” The Lancet 360, no. 9339 (2002): 1083–88.

Lewandowski, Casey. “Evaluation of Schizoid Personality Disorder: Background, Misconceptions, and the Interrelation with Violence.” Global Happiness and Humanitarian Assistance, 2024, 129–41.

Miller, L.  Constructivist Epistemology. London: Routledge, 2016.

Millon, Theodore, and S. Grossman. MCMI-IV: Inventario Clínico Multiaxial de Millon-IV. Pearson, 2018.

Oladeinde Olawoyin. “Kwara Govt Moves to Relocate Oke-Kura Prison.” Premium Times. , 2017.

Sabia, Joseph J, Dhaval Dave, Fawaz Alotaibi, and Daniel I Rees. “The Effects of Recreational Marijuana Laws on Drug Use and Crime.” Journal of Public Economics 234 (2024): 105075.

Sabo, Anche Ugah, Aminu Davidson, and Kaze Akwanga Bashama. “The Need for Community Policing In Providing Security and Curbing Rising Crime in Nigeria,” 2020.

Seedat, Mohamed, Ashley Van Niekerk, Rachel Jewkes, Shahnaaz Suffla, and Kopano Ratele. “Violence and Injuries in South Africa: Prioritising an Agenda for Prevention.” The Lancet 374, no. 9694 (2009): 1011–22.

Sleep, C. E., D. R. Lynam, C. S. Hyatt, and J. D. Miller. “The Link between Individual Personality Traits and Aggression: A Systematic Review.” Aggression and Violent Behavior 58 (2021): 101546.

Tharshini, N K, Fauziah Ibrahim, Mohammad Rahim Kamaluddin, Balan Rathakrishnan, and Norruzeyati Che Mohd Nasir. “The Link between Individual Personality Traits and Criminality: A Systematic Review.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 16 (2021): 8663.

Verona, Edelyn, and Bryanna Fox. “Pathways to Crime and Antisocial Behavior: A Critical Analysis of Psychological Research and a Call for Broader Ecological Perspectives.” Annual Review of Clinical Psychology 21, no. 1 (2025): 439–64.

Zendegani, Ali, Shahab Papi, Mahmood Mosazadeh, Masoud Gharib, and Zahra Aliyari. “Comparison of Personality Disorders Among Elderly Criminals in Tehran Prisons Based on the Type of Crime in 1403.” Salmand 0, no. 0 (January 6, 2025): 0–0. https://doi.org/10.32598/sija.2025.3903.1.

Dr. Olaseni holds NPA-accredited doctoral and master’s degrees in clinical psychology and has trained at leading clinical and academic institutions in Nigeria. With a strong publication record, advanced expertise in statistical analysis, and active membership in PsySSA, SGD, NPA, and APA, Dr. Olaseni brings rich insight into academic writing, publishing, and collaborative scholarship.

Olaseni, Abayomi O. “From traits to trouble: Exploring the role of Drug Abuse between Clinical Personality and Criminal Behaviour.” Journal of Education and Learning Technology 7, no.4 (2026): 423 – 432. https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.2026746

© 2026 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Articles in this Issue

About Journal