CH&E Seminar Series - Dalhousie University

CH&E Seminar Series
Sherry H. Stewart, PhD
Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, and
Community Health & Epidemiology,
Director, Centre for Addiction Research at Dalhousie,
Dalhousie University
Title:
What’s the truth about the addictive personality? The role of personality factors in
addictive behavior etiology, prevention, and treatment
Date:
Tuesday, March 24, 2015 12:00 pm
Location:
Centre for Clinical Research, CH&E Classroom #409
5790 University Avenue
Contact:
Jodi.lawrence@dal.ca 494-3860
Synopsis: While the notion of a single “addictive personality” type has been largely refuted in
the literature, contemporary research on the role of personality factors in addictive behaviors and
disorders suggests there may be several addiction-prone personality typologies. Dr. Stewart will
present her cross-sectional, longitudinal, and cross-cultural work on links between personality
and various addictive behaviors (e.g., alcohol, marijuana, gambling) and on motives as mediators
of these personality-addictive behavior links. Implications for clinical interventions will be
reviewed with some illustrative examples from Dr. Stewart’s clinical trials research showing how
targeting personality risks can be effective in addictive behavior prevention and treatment.
Biography: Sherry Stewart holds a PhD in clinical psychology from McGill University and is a
licensed clinical psychologist in Nova Scotia. She holds a joint appointment as Professor of
Psychiatry and Psychology/Neuroscience at Dalhousie and is cross-appointed in Community
Health and Epidemiology. She is on the board of directors of the Canadian Centre on Substance
Abuse. She studies the role of psychological factors (e.g., personality, motives) in contributing to
addictive behaviors and disorders. She also investigates mechanisms underlying comorbid
mental health and addictive disorders. She has conducted several trials of novel approaches for
treating and preventing co-occurring mental illness and addictions.