risk factors (genetics and stress( Flashcards
genetic vulnerability
people may be vulnerable to addiction because they have a predisposed biological vulnerability e.g. it is hereditary
some people appear to be born with a genetic vulnerability to substance abuse and other forms of unhealthy behaviour e.g. Slutske (2010) found that MZ twins had a higher concordance rate of both twins becoming pathological gamblers than DZ
smoking also appears to have a strong genetic influence. Vink et al 2005 studied 1572 dutch twin pairs and found that the likelihood of becoming addicted to nicotine was influenced primarily (75%) by genetic factors
dopamine receptor gene
Blum and Payne (1991) suggest that individuals who are vulnerable to drug addiction have abnormally low numbers of D2 receptors
therefore, they have low levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine and a decreased ability to activate dopamine receptors in the reward centre of the brain
it could be that taking addictive substances which raise the levels of dopamine helps the individuals to feel states of reward/happiness
consistent with research involving the genetic origins of addictive behaviours e.g. Blum et al (1990) reported that a particular variant of the dopamine receptor gene associated with decreased dopamine receptor availability (A1 variant) occurred with a much higher frequency in the DNA of samples taken from alcoholics compared to non-alcoholics (Sinha et al)
interactionist explanation
for addiction to occur, there needs to be a gene-environment interaction. the individual will plainly not become addicted if they are not exposed to the substance or the opportunity within their environment
strength of genetics
supporting research evidence
kendler et al 2012
used data from the national swedish adoption study and found that those with a biological parents with addiction had a greater risk of developing addiction (8.6%) compared to those with no addicted biological parent (4.2%)
supports genetics argument as it shown influence of genetics in development of addiction
limit of genetics
biologically reductionist
which is when a theory unfairly simplifies human behaviour, ignoring other influences
comings 1998 found 50% of pathological gamblers have the DrD2 gene but it was found in 25% of the population so it alone cannot be sole explanation of addictive behaviours
limit of genetics
biologically reductionist
which is when a theory unfairly simplifies human behaviour, ignoring other influences
comings 1998 found 50% of pathological gamblers have the DrD2 gene but it was found in 25% of the population so it alone cannot be sole explanation of addictive behaviours
this causes us to question the validity of genetics as an explanation as it fails to take into account other important environmental influences that clearly contribute to addiction
stress
self-medication
traumatic stress
traumatic experiences in childhood
self-medication
self-medication model (Gelkopf et al 2002) proposes that some individuals intentionally use different forms of pathological behaviour (e.g. alcohol) to treat the psychological symptoms they experience because of everyday stressors in their life
research on drug abusers has shown that stress is one of the strongest predictors of relapse (Dawes et al 2000) and increased drug cravings (sinha 2000)
although engaging in such behaviour may not actually make things better (e.g. decrease the stress the person is under) the perception that it does is instrumental in that behaviour becoming an addiction
traumatic stress
people exposed to severe stress are more vulnerable to addictions
e.g. robins et al 1974 interviewed US soldiers within a year of their return from the Vietnam war
of these, almost half had used either opium or heroin during their tour of duty, with 20% reporting that they had developed physical or psychological dependence for heroin at some point during their time in Vietnam
in a general population study for men with a history of PTSD, Kessler et al 1995 found 34% reported drug abuse or dependence at some point in their lives, compared to 15% without PTSD. for women, 27% of those with PTSD reported dependence, compared to 8% without
traumatic experiences in childhood
susan anderson and martin teicher (2008) suggest that early experiences of severe stress have damaging effects on the brain in a sensitive period of development
this creates a vulnerability to addiction by early adulthood
e.g. a young child who witnesses a stressful traumatic event (e.g. sexual abuse) could be more at risk to developing addiction
stress strength 1
strong research evidence
piazza et al 1989
tested rats for vulnerability to addiction through stress. they achieved a state of stress in the rats by pinching their tails and found that rats were more likely to seek out and ingest amphetamines the more stressed they got
despite this being an animal study, the findings still suggest that stress makes addiction more likely
stress strength 2
supporting research evidence
tavolacci et al 2013
they asked university students to complete a questionnaire to indicate their stress levels (using a stress scale). a positive correlation was found between high stress levels and frequent engagement in addictive behaviours such as smoking, drinking etc
supports stress as a risk factor as it suggests stress may lead to higher risk of development
