addiction Flashcards
what is prochaskas model?
is a six stage model, Witt the different stages that do not happen in a linear order and the process is often cyclical.
what are the stages of prochaskas model?
pre contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance and termination.
what is pre contemplation?
at this stage, people are not considering changing their behaviour in the future, they could be in denial or feel demotivated by their failure in their previous attempts to change their behaviour.
if there is intervention at this stage then this could help them release that they have a problem.
what is contemplation?
this is when people are aware that they need to chance, and they consider the pros and cons of changing.
this stage can last for a long time. at this stage the intervention that they receive should help the person see that the pros outweigh the cons.
what is preparation?
at this stage, the person has decided to change but has got no plan on how to do it yet. any intervention at this stage should focus on helping the person to chose which support they will need to achieve their change successfully.
e..g GP etc
what is action?
at this stage people change their behaviour, get rid of the issue (e.g. lighters etc) - relapse can happen.
the intervention here should focus on supporting the person by practical help such as praise and rewards so that the change is maintained.
what is maintenance?
this is where the person has maintained the change for at least 6 months and there is more confidence that the change will be permanent. intervention at this stage helps on strategies to prevent relapse.
what is termination?
this is where is change is permanent and stable, abstinence is now automatic and there is no relapse. some people do not achieve this stage and remain at the maintenance stage for years and relapse is still possible for them
strength of prochaskas model
the model is flexible and dynamic, it reflects the changing emotions and attitudes that the addicts have towards their condition. sometimes they could appear to be in denial and at other times they recognise that their addiction is a problem. it also offers a different focus of intervention at every stage, this could lead to more individualised support and help so therefore they are more likely to be successful in their recovery and less likely to relapse.
+ more realistic view of relapse
weakness of prochaska model
the difference between stages is often ‘blurry’, e.g. the difference between contemplation and preparation is vague. so it can be questionable whether they are 2 different stages.
also
the model neglects the influence of social factors - e.g. living conditions and unemployment.
what is a risk factor?
a risk factor can be something that makes a person more likely to be or to become addicted.
what are the different risk factors?
genetic vulnerability, stress, personality, family influences and peers
describe the stress risk factor for addiction?
high levels of stress can Make people more vulnerable to addiction, they can turn to substances or behaviours which give them a temporary relief of their stress - as a coping mechanism.
their stress could be due to their social environment like family or also where they live.
people who live in cities rather than the countryside are more likely to become addicted to drugs as they could be more accessible in cities.
describe personality as a risk factor?
it is said that some personality types are more prone to addiction, e.g. people with high neuroticism which Is high levels of anxiety, or could be people who are aggressive.
describe peers as a risk factor?
is it said that the influence of peers is greater then the influence or family, it is said there are 3 features of peer influence that can lead to addiction.
- an individual is influenced because they associate with peers that are addicted/drink.
- their peers provide opportunities to access the addictive substances
- the individual overestimates how much they can handle - their consumption.
describe genetic vulnerability as a risk factor?
genetic factors can play a role in addiction by predisposing individuals to become addicted to some substances. it refers to the inherited characteristics which are passed on from parents to children which will make it more likely if the child will develop an addiction.
describe family influences as a risk factor?
2 features of family influences:
- social learning theory
- this is where the individual observes their parents smoking or drinking etc and if they observe their parents as being more relaxed then they will imitate the behaviour to get the same result. over-time and repeated exposures the individual becomes addicted.
- perceived parental approval
- the person perceives that their parents have a positive attitude towards drugs or addictive behaviours.
evaluation for genetic vulnerability risk factor
strength - research support for the influence of genetic factors
- KENDLER carried out a twin study on 2516 Swedish twin males and found a concordance rate of 33% of monozygotic twins and 15% for dizygotic twins: this suggests a significant influence of genetic factors.
weakness - it is a determinist explanation as it does not recognise free will in whether an individual develops an addiction.
evaluation for stress as a risk factor
strength - stress could be due to childhood trauma such as sexual abuse
- this can be supported by EPSTEIN who found that women with a history of childhood rape has twice as many PTSD symptoms as did women who had not been raped.
weakness - EPSTEIN’S research is correlational, it may be that childhood stress increases the risk of addiction or that addiction could increase stress - because they co-relate, cause and effect is not established.
evaluation for personality as a risk factor
strength - could help identify individuals at risk of developing an addiction and could provide them with help before they do, this would reduce the personal cost to the person and society.
weakness - not all personality types that are ‘considered’ as becoming more likely to be addicted to something are a guaranteed addiction.
evaluation for family influences (social learning theory) as a risk factor
cognitive factors would also decide whether the child will become addicted or not, as they could be influenced by other sources such as peers, and also depends on the age of the young person, as if they are younger they are ore influenced by family than older ones.
evaluation for family influences (perceived behavioural control) as a risk factor
weakness - it is difficult to separate and measure the influence of the family from all other influences such as peers and the media. these studies are also correlational so they do not show cause and effect.
strength - RESEARCH SUPPORT
- QUINE carried out study on sample of Australian children and found that they were more likely than other children to have the intention to drink if their parents drank at least weekly.
evaluation of peers as a risk factor
weakness - it is difficult to test the influence of peers, as it could be the choice of the person rather that the addiction being the result of the association with a particular group. + doesn’t take into account possible factors such as social factors = unemployment and stress.
strength - research on this topic is important because it can be the base for preventing and treating addiction.
