Drug dependence, crime and personality among female addicts.

Female drug addicts and female criminals have received relatively little research attention. This study investigates the personality correlates of female addicts attending a London drug clinic convicted for drug-related, violent and other offences. More than half of the sample had at least one conviction, and fourteen out of thirty-seven had convictions for non-drug-related offences. Convicted subjects were more extraverted than non-convicted subjects. This result may reflect some relationship between impulsivity and criminal behaviour, though other personality factors may interact with extraversion.