addiction - risk factors Flashcards
what Two mechanisms can explain genetic vulnerability as a risk factor
Dopamine activity
Nicotine metabolised by the CYP2A6 enzyme
how dose dopamine activity effect genetic vunerbility
an abnormally low numbers of D2 receptors are inherited.
Fewer receptors means less dopamine activity.
so people compensate by engaging in addictive behaviour
how dose nicotine metabolisms effect genetic vunerbility
people are less likely to smoke if this enzyme is not fully functioning because nicotine levels are higher.
what did Andersen and Teicher propose (stress)
the role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in later addiction.
what did Andersen and Teicher argue
early experiences of severe stress damage the young brain and creates vulnerability to later stress.
how dose personality link to addiction
no such thing as addictive personality
however
Most people with antisocial personality disorder (APD) are also addicted substance users. - casual risk factor
what is family influence apparent in
alcohol addiction.
Adolescents start using alcohol in families where it is an everyday feature.
who studied family influences of addiction
Livingston et al. - children allowed to drink alcohol at home in their final school year were more likely to drink excessively at college the next year.
who suggested the 3 major elements to peer influence and what are they
O’Connell et al.
Attitudes around peers who drink.
peers provide more opportunity’s
overestimating perceived norms and attempt to keep up
strength of genetic vunerbility
support from adoption studies
Kendler et al. - looked at adults who had been adopted away, as children, from biological families in which at least one parent had an addiction.
they had a significantly greater risk of developing an addiction
one limitation of stress
issue of causation.
strong positive correlation between stress and addiction, but this does not necessarily mean that stress is the risk factor.
people may become addicted without previous life stressors, but then addiction creates stress due to negative effects of the lifestyle
one strength of personality
support for the link between addiction and APD
APD and alcohol dependence are co-morbid
Bahlmann et al. (2002) found that in 18 alcohol-dependent people with diagnosed APD, the APD developed on average four years before the addiction.
one strength of family influence
research support
Madras et al. (2019) found a strong positive correlation between parents’ use of cannabis and their adolescent children’s use of cannabis and other addictive substances.
adolescents observe their parents’ use and model their behaviour.
one strength for peers
real-world application
Social norms marketing advertising aims to change mistaken beliefs about how much peers drink
beer mats and posters in a Student Union bar might carry messages such as ‘Students overestimate what others drink by 44%’. Students then get a more accurate picture to correct their overestimations.
