Nicotine Aversion Therapy Flashcards
What is the aim of Nicotine Aversion Therapy?
To reduce cravings for the desired substance by pairing it with an unpleasant response
How does aversion therapy work (nicotine)?
Patients are presented with the aversive stimuli of rapid smoking (UCS) where the client takes a puff of cigarettes (NS) every 6 seconds in a closed room until they finish a set amount or feel sick (UCR)
The duration of this may depend on how addicted they are/how much tolerance they have
After several pairings of rapidly smoking and the cigarette, they will associate smoking a cigarette (CS) with feeling sick (CR) and start to feel unwell every time they see or smell a cigarette.
What is a strength of aversion therapy for nicotine? (Supp evidence)
A strength of aversion therapy is that the theory has supporting evidence. Tongus found that 12 months after therapy, 56% of participants were abstaining. This suggests that AT is an effective treatment for some client to stop smoking, and therefore valid.
What is a strength of aversion therapy for nicotine? (ethics)
A strength of AT is that it is ethical because participants will give informed consent to the process. They will learn that they have to smoke rapidly (every 6 second) and agree to do it knowing it will make them nauseous/vomit. This means that participants are informed and agree, so hopefully they will continue to take part and remove the smoking addiction.
What is a weakness of aversion therapy for nicotine? (underlying cause)
A weakness is that AT does not treat the underlying cause that makes people smoke. Patients may smoke to cope with stressors and so relapse after treatment. Nicotine helps them relax as it decreases the level of noradrenaline. This means that AV may not be effective in the long term.
What is a weakness of aversion therapy for nicotine? (drop out rate)
A weakness is that AV has a high drop out rate, meaning not all patients complete the therapy. It can be unpleasant for patients to learn a new association, that smoking is unpleasant but experiencing nausea or vomiting. This learning will take place over several sessions, so AV is not effective if patients cannot complete the therapy in full.
