Aggression is suggested to be a predictive factor for alcohol use but the casual relationship between aggression and alcohol dependence is complex. Early aggressive acts are a risk factor for early onset alcohol dependence and aggression is suggested to be a long term individual characteristic which is probably in association with personality traits preexisting before the alcohol use.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship of personality dimensions with aggression among alcohol dependent inpatients and to control the effect of psychiatric symptom severity on this relationship.

Participants were consecutively admitted male alcohol (n=94) dependent inpatients. Patients were investigated with the Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ), the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and the Symptom Checklist-Revised (SCL-90-R).

Character dimensions self-directedness (SD) and cooperativeness (C) were negatively and severity of psychiatric symptoms was positively correlated with severity of aggression and its dimensions. Low SD and C, which are indicative of a personality disorder, were predictors of aggression. When severity of psychiatric symptoms was included in analyses as an independent variable, it became the main predictor.

Consistent with the hypothesis that aggression is an expression of poor character development, aggression was found to be more closely related with character compared to temperament dimensions. Nevertheless, our findings also suggest that the relationship between the aggression and character dimensions may be indirect through psychopathology. Therefore, when the aggression is the main problem, it is important to evaluate alcohol dependents for the personality dimensions and severity of psychiatric symptoms.