Risk Factors

Cards (24)

  • What are the 5 risk factors associated with development of addiction?
    Genetic vulnerability, stress, personality, family influences, peers
  • What are the two plausible direct mechanisms that create a genetic vulnerability to addiction?
    Dopamine receptors and metabolism (nicotine enzyme)
  • Explain effect of dopamine receptors?
    Dopamine transmission is affected by the number of dopamine receptors you have and this number is genetically controlled. People are are addicted have been found to have an abnormally low number of D2 receptors (type of dopamine receptor). Fewer receptors means less dopamine activity, so using drugs is a way of compensating for this deficiency
  • Explain effect of metabolism on addiction
    Some individuals are able to metabolise certain substances and this is linked to addiction. People who lack a fully functioning nicotine metabolising enzyme also smoke significantly less than those with a fully functioning version. Expression of such enzymes are genetically determined
  • Example of metabolism varying amongst races
    Europeans metabolise alcohol quickly so they do not feel drunk (therefore may drink more) whereas 50 % of Asians metabolise slowly. They may feel nauseas after drinking a small amount of alcohol
  • Kendler et al. looked at adults who had been adopted away as children, from biological families where at least one parent had an addiction. These children later had a significantly greater risk of developing addiction themselves compared to adoptees with no biological parent who was addicted to a substance
  • Twin studies have found that concordance rate for addiction amongst monozygotic twins was more than twice as high as dizygotic twins (Slutske et al.)
  • Types of stress that may result in addiction
    Chronic events (long-term), severe acute stress (one-off), traumatic childhood event
  • Teicher et al. highlighted the role of traumatic childhood experiences in later addiction as it has damaging effects on a young brian in a sensitive period of development. This creates a vulnerability to later stress making it more likely for such a person to self medicate or other behavioural addictions to cope
  • Kessler et al. found that men and women with a history of PTSD were more likely to be addicted compared to those without
  • What is a limitation of research into stress as a riskfactor?
    Causation cannot be established as studies are correlational
  • What personality is addiction linked to?
    Disordered personality
  • Psychologists found that most people with antisocial personality disorder (APD) are also addicted substance abusers
  • It can be argued that antisocial personality disorder is a causal risk factor for addiction because it means a person is more likely to break social norms, is impulsive and may behave criminally, including trying drugs at a young age
  • There is research support for the link between addiction and APD
    Studies have shown that APD and alcohol dependence are co-morbid. Bahlmann found that participants who were alcohol dependent had developed APD 4 years before their alcohol dependency, on average.
  • What are two elements of family influence?
    Social learning theory (parents as social models) and parenting styles
  • How does social learning theory link to development of addiction?
    The child/adolescent observes their parents smoking or drinking and the results of that behaviour (feeling relax or experience pleasure). The individual then imitates the behaviour to get the same result. Over time and repeated exposure, addiction develops (vicarious learning)
  • Reith and Debbie found that gambling knowledge and behaviour was passed within families in gendered ways. Males were more likely to engage in sports betting whereas females in machines and bingos
  • How does parenting style link to addiction?
    Perceived parental approval. Adolescents who believe that their partners have little/no interest in monitoring their behaviour are more likely to develop an addiction
  • Livingston et al. found that high school students who were allowed to drink alcohol at home were significantly more likely to drink excessively the following year at college
  • Madras et al. found a strong correlation between parent’s use of cannabis and child’s use of cannabis, alcohol and nicotine
  • What are the three major elements to peer influence according to O’Connell et al.?
    1.An at-risk adolescents attitudes and norms about drinking are influenced by associating with peers who use alcohol. 2. These experienced peers provide opportunities for the at-risk individual to use alcohol. 3. The individual overestimates how much their peers are drinking, which means they drink more to keep up with the perceived norm
  • How does knowledge on the influence of peers have real world application?
    Social norms marketing advertising (SNMA) is an intervention to change mistaken beliefs about how much peers are drinking. It uses mass media advertising to provide messages and statistics about how much people really drink
  • It is estimated that students overestimate what others drink by 44 %