EOTT - Addiction

Question 1

What are the risk factors for addiction

Answer 1

• Genetic vunerability
• stress
• personality
• family influences
• peers

Question 2

define genetic vunerabiltiy as a risk factor for addiction

Answer 2

Any inherited predisposition that increases the risk of a disorder or condition.

Question 3

Explain genetic vunerability as a risk factor for addiction

Answer 3

There are 2 plausible direct mechanisms that create a genetic vunerability:
1. D2 receptor - Dopamine transmittion is affected by a number of dopmaine receptors and this number is genetically controlled. There are different types of dopamine receptors. People who have become addicted have an abnormally low number of D2 receptors. Fewer receptors means less dopamine activity - so using drugs is compensating for this deficiency.
2. Nicotine enzyme CYP2A6 - some individuals are able to metabolise certain substances, and this is linked to addiction. Expression of CYP2A6 is genetically determined

Question 4

Give research to support genetic vunerability as a risk factor for addiction

Answer 4

Pianezza et al 1998
found that some people lack a fully functioning enzyme CPY2A6, which metabolises nicotine. They also smoke significantly less than those smokers with the fully functioning version.

Question 5

define stress as a risk factor for addiction

Answer 5

A state of emotional or mental strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances.

Question 6

Explain stress as a risk factor for addiction

Answer 6

Stressful life events and traumati experiences in childhood and adulthood are important risk factors for addiction.

Question 7

Give research to support stress as a risk factor for addiction

Answer 7

Andersen and Teicher 2008
highlighted the role of adverse childhood esperiences in later addiction. They argue that early experiences of severe stress have samaging effects on a young brain in a sensitive period of development. This creates vunerability to later stress. Further stressful experiences triggers the early vunerability and make it more likely that the person will self-medicate with addictions.

Question 8

define personality as a risk factor for addiction

Answer 8

the configuration of personality traits and actions which includes a person’s individual acclimation to life, inclusive of primary traits, interests, motivations, morals, self-concept, skills and emotional trends.

Question 9

Explain personality as a risk factor of addiction

Answer 9

Various traits can increase an individual’s risk of addiction, a significant one being impulsivity

Question 10

Give research to support personality as a risk factor for addiction

Answer 10

Wan-Sen Yan 2013
found a relationship between personality characteristics and addiction. They found that high levels of neuroticism and psychoticism alongside low levels fo extroversion were linked to internet addiction.

Question 11

define family influences

Answer 11

The capacity or power of the family to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behaviours, opinions of others

Question 12

Explain family influences as a risk factor for addiction

Answer 12

How much at-risk induvidual believes their parents approve of addictive substances or behaviours is an influencial risk factor.

Question 13

Give research to support family influences as a risk factor for addiction

Answer 13

Akers and Lee 1996
found that smoking behaviour in adolescents was affected by social learning. They looked at the smoking habits of 12-17 year olds (over 450 ppts) across a 5 year period. They found that social influences affected smoking behaviours such as trying smoking, continuing smoking and quitting smoking. One of the sources of social learning tested was in families.

Question 14

define peer pressure as a risk factor for addiction

Answer 14

The capacity or power of peers to be a compelling fore on or produce effects on teh actions, behaviour, opinions of others.

Question 15

explain peer pressure as an explanaion of addiction

Answer 15

The attitude of peers towards addictive substances/ behaviours becomes highly influential in increasing the risk of an addiction developing in adolescence.

Question 16

Give research to support peer pressure as a risk factor of addiction

Answer 16

Leshner 1998
advocates treatment stratages that include social context elements, such as peer groups, as well as biological and behavioural elements if they are going to be successful. This is because recovering addicts may relapse if they return to the intial social context, suggesting that peer influence could be a risk factor.

Question 17

What are the components to coginitive theory in gambling

Answer 17

• Coping
• Self-efficacy
• expectancy
• cognitive bias

Question 18

Define coping as an aspect of cognitive theory when explaining gambling

Answer 18

People engage in addictive behaviours to cope with stress in their lives

Question 19

Define self-efficacy as an aspect of cognitive theory when explaining gambling

Answer 19

Self-efficacy refers to our beliefs in ourselved and whether we believe that we are capable to dealing with the effects of a partiulary behaviour.

Question 20

Define expectancy as an aspect of cognitive theory when explaining gambling

Answer 20

expectancy is the perceived benefits of gamling an be huge.

Question 21

define cognitive bias as an aspect of cognitive theory when explaining gambling

Answer 21

Gambling behaviours occur because reasoning is bias in many ways. The focus stays on the positive aspects of the behaviour and downplays the negative side.
These biases are listed by Wagenaar 1988 (16 distortions)

Question 22

List 6 of Wagenaar’s 16 distortions

Answer 22

• Availability
• confirmation bias
• concrete information bias
• hindsight bias
• flexible attribution
• illusion of control

Question 23

Describe availability distortion

+ give an example

Answer 23

Memories of wins can be recalled more easily than losses.

e.g. forgetting you lost £50 when you won £5

Question 24

Decribe confirmation bias

Answer 24

Focusing on information that is consitent with a belief (such as being lucky)

Question 25

describe concrete information bias

Answer 25

Focuses on events such as big wins and downplays calculations of losses.

Question 26

describe hindsight bias

Answer 26

When a gambler looks back and says they expected whether the win or loss; this gives them a feeling of control (whihc they use to justify gambling)

Question 27

Describe flexible attribution

w/ an example

Answer 27

Wins are explained as due to their skill and losses due to other people’s influence.

e.g. seeing people as good or bad luck ergo making them stay or go

Question 28

describe illusion of control

w/ example

Answer 28

The feeling that gamblers have that they can exert control over an uncertain outcome.

e.g. Having people blow on dice

Question 29

Give 2 limitation of cognitive theory for gambling

Answer 29

1. :( - research relies on self report - ppt. may struggle to vocalise + biases are specific to context. - required introspection makes the area difficult to research.
2. :( - not complete explanation - neglects social factors e.g. money - suggests cognitive factors alone are not sufficient enough in explaining - ergo approach too reductionist.

Question 30

Give a peice of research to support cognitive theory

Answer 30

Griffiths 1994

Question 31

Outline Griffiths 1994

no results

Answer 31

using the thinging aloud method (a form of introspection) he conducted an experiment in an arcade to compare the cognitive processes of regular slot machine gamblers and people who only use them occationally. The ppt. had to verbalise any thought that passed their mind. A content analysis classified these into irrational and rational. An interview was used to ask the ppts the level of skill required to win on slot machines.

Sample of 60 - 30 in each group - told to stay for 60 gambles (if possible) - told to try and win back the £3
rational - e.g. wow! i won 10p
irrational e.g. this machine likes me

Question 32

outline the results of Griffiths 1994

Answer 32

Comments indicated that regular gamblers thought they were more skillful than they were, they made more irrational comments and losses were described as near misses.

Question 33

what are the types of drug therapies for addiction

Answer 33

• Aversive
• Agonsists
• Antagonists

Question 34

Give an example of an aversive drug

Answer 34

Disulfiram

Question 35

What are aversive drugs like disulfiram used to treat

Answer 35

Alcoholism

Question 36

How do aversive drugs work

Answer 36

Their main effect is to produce unplesant concequences such as vomiting. Disulfiram treats alcoholism my creating a hypersensitivity to alcohol. If alcohol is consumed after taking it they suffer the effects of a severe hangover. This causes the client to associate the alcohol with unpleasant outcomes - classical conditioning.

Question 37

Give an example of an agonist drug

Answer 37

Methadone

Question 38

what do agonist drugs such as methadone treat

Answer 38

drug addiction such as heroin

Question 39

how do agonist drugs work

Answer 39

They act as drug substitutes by activating the neuron receptors providing a similar effect to the addictive substance. Methadone is used to treat heroin addiction by satisfying a person’s craving for a state of euphoria but with fewer harmful side-effects and cleaner as they are administered medically.
Agonists stabalise the individual because they are used to control the withdrawal syndrome, allowing a gradual reduction in dose and symptoms.

Question 40

Give an example of an antagonist drug

Answer 40

Naltrexone

Question 41

What do antagonist drugs such as naltrexone treat

Answer 41

drug addictions such as heroin

Question 42

explain how antagonist drugs such as Naltrexone work

Answer 42

They treat addiction by blocking the receptor sites so that the substance of dependence cannot have the usual effects, especially the feeling of euphoria that people with addictions crave.

Naltrexone is an opiod antagonist used to treat the physiological dependence of heroin addiction. However shoudl be used alongside counselling to tackle psychological issues

Question 43

Give a limitation of drug therapies

Answer 43

:( - side effects, such as nausea, sleep disturbance, dizziness and headaches. Additionally this is much worse for addictions such as gambling who’s dose of naltrexone is much higher than a drug addicts which means the side effects are much more severe e.g. muscle spasm, anxiety, depression. This is a limitation because they may cause the client to discontinue the therapy. This means that benefit of drug therapy should be weighed against the side effects and other treatment options such as psychological therapies as the side effects mean that clients are less likely to continue the treatment.

Question 44

List some strengths of drug treatments

Answer 44

• effective
• cost effective
• readily available
• non-disruptive
• reduces stigma

Question 45

What are the drug treatments for nicotine addiction

Answer 45

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)
Uses gum, inhalers, patches to deliver the substance in a less harmful fashion.
NRTs provides a clean controlled dose of nicotine. Using these the amount of nicotine can be reduced over time which means the withdrawal symptoms can be managed over a period of 2-3 months which reduces the unpleasantness.

Question 46

What are the drug therapies for gambling addiciton

Answer 46

There are no drugs officially approved to treat gambling addiction. However there is research into naltrexone which has come about due to the simirities between gambling and drug addictions in the DSM-5. The opiod antagonists release GABA which reduces the production of dopamine.