Risk Factor: Stress

Question 1

Stress

Answer 1

A physiological and psychological state of arousal that arises when we believe we do not have the ability to cope with a perceived threat

Question 2

Research Epstein (AO3)

Answer 2

• found a strong correlation between the incident of childhood rape and later adult alcohol addiction but only in women diagnosed with PTSD
• therefore there is not an inevitable relationship between childhood trauma & later addiction
• suggests a child would only develop an addiction if they have a vulnerability and later a stressful situation leading to PTSD

Question 3

Research Support Piazza et al

Answer 3

• rats were tested for vulnerability to stress by pinching their tails
• found that these rats were more likely to seek out & ingest amphetamines the more stressed they got
• issue with validity; how stressed were the rats? Could it be another factor causing them to ingest the amphétamines e.g fear