Background and aim Personality functioning is predictive of drug misuse and relapse, yet little is known about the role of personality in engagement with the treatment process. This study aimed to estimate the extent to which broad‐ and facet‐level characteristic adaptations contribute to or hinder treatment engagement, while controlling for psychosocial indicators. Design Multi‐site cross‐sectional survey. Setting In‐patient treatment units covering 80% of residential treatment entries in Greece. Participants A total of 338 service users, 287 (84.9%) male, 51 (15.1%) female, average age 33.4 years. Measurements Expressions of personality functioning (characteristic adaptations) were assessed using the Severity Indices of Personality Problems (SIPP‐118). Treatment engagement was measured using the Client Evaluation of Self and Treatment, in‐patient version (CEST). Findings Dysfunctional levels of relational capacities predicted counselling rapport [β = 1.50, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.326–2.69, P = 0.013], treatment participation (β = 2.09, 95% CI = 1.15–3.11, P < 0.001) and treatment satisfaction (β = 1.65, 95% CI = 0.735–2.57, P < 0.001). Counselling rapport was also predicted by dysfunctional levels in self‐control (β = 1.78, 95% CI = 0.899–2.67, P < 0.001), self‐reflective functioning at the facet‐level (β = 2.24, 95% CI = 1.01–3.46, P < 0.001) and aggression regulation (β = 1.43, 95% CI = 0.438–2.42, P = 0.005). Dysfunctional levels on social concordance (β = −1.90, 95% CI = −2.87 to –0.941, P = 0.001), emotional regulation (β = 1.90, 95% CI = 0.87–2.92, P < 0.001) and intimacy (β = 2.04, 95% CI = 1.31–3.05, P < 0.001) were significant predictors of treatment participation. Treatment readiness and desire for help predicted treatment engagement. Conclusions In people attending substance use treatment services, maladaptive interpersonal patterns and relational intimacy, emotional dysregulation and impulse control may be associated with low levels of counselling rapport and treatment participation. Low frustration tolerance and aggressive impulses also appeared to predict low participation.

Background: Treatment retention is a major factor contributing to favourable outcome in the treatment of substance misuse, but the literature remains very limited. Despite evidence of the association of personality with drug use experimentation and relapse, surprisingly little is known about its role in the treatment process. Clients’ personality functioning as measured by malleable and context sensitive characteristic adaptations in treatment are of concern. Aims: This study examines whether, and to what extent, personality functioning contributes to or hinders treatment completion. This paper examined the extent to which service users’ characteristic adaptations may be potential determinants of treatment completion. Methodology: A longitudinal multi-site design was utilised, examining the therapy process in a naturalistic setting in five inpatient treatment units. The study examined whether service users’ characteristic adaptations (SIPP-118) predict completion, while controlling psychosocial, motivational and treatment engagement indicators involving n = 340 participants from 5 inpatient centres. Multivariate regression analyses were applied to examine the predictive role of characteristic adaptations on treatment completion. Results: Findings indicated that certain dysfunctional characteristic adaptations emerged as strong predictors of treatment completion. Dysfunctional levels on Self-control and Social concordance were significant predictors of drop out from treatment. Individuals with low capacity to tolerate, use and control one’s own emotions and impulses were almost three times more likely to drop-out compared to those without [OR] = 2.73, Wald = 6.09, P = .014, 95% CI [1.2, 6.0]. Individuals with dysfunctional levels on the ability to value someone’s identity, withhold aggressive impulses towards others and work together with others were 2.21 more times more likely to complete treatment [OR] = 2.21, Wald = 4.12, P = .042, 95% CI [1.0, 4.7]. The analysis at the facet level provided additional insight. Individuals with higher adaptive levels on Effortful Control were 46% more times likely to complete treatment than the group [OR] = 4.67, Wald = 10.231, P = .001, 95% CI [1.81, 12.04], 47% more likely on Aggression regulation [OR] = 4.76, Wald = 16.68, P < .001, 95% CI [2.1, 10.3], and 26% more likely on Stable self-image [OR] = 2.62, Wald = 6.75, P < .009, 95% CI [0.9, 3.0]. Conclusions: These findings extend our knowledge of the predictive role of characteristic adaptations in treatment completion and highlight the clinical utility of capturing these individual differences early on. Delineating the role of characteristic adaptations in treatment may provide the basis for enhancing treatment effectiveness through individualized interventions that are scientifically driven and may open new avenues for the scientific enquiry of personality and treatment.

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Internationally there are different requirements for measuring and monitoring health care practice and cross-border clinical placement. However, the quality of the clinical training settings has a significant impact on student experience and knowledge and eventually on the quality of the healthcare services. HealINT4ALL funded by the European Union aims to develop a global prepared health workforce regardless of cultural, political or educational context. Despite the great diversity due to the different needs, resources, regulations etc., there is a clear need for harmonised minimum training requirements especially for healthcare professions and from those benefiting from automatic recognition across the EU such as doctors, nurses and midwives, as reflected by the EU Directive (2013/55/EU). In offering international mobility, universities must ensure that learning environment standards are ethical and commensurate with their own quality assurance processes. For medical professions, demonstrating the quality of clinical practice internationally can be a challenging task. The project will innovatively adapt the newly established audit protocol and support tools to suit the needs of higher education for wider application in learning environments in medical-related professionals. The participatory co-creation methodology involving end-users in workshops to ensure alignment of the digital content with the learning needs of the students is essential to facilitate consistency and assure confidence for all stakeholders in the audit process and its outcomes. In order to facilitate quality assurance, consistency and raise standards of care, a digital interactive audit platform, supported by access to a central database is incrementally developed. The triangulation of the evidence obtained from the mapping exercise of the participating countries, provided the basis for the development of the first part of the digital audit platform.

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