Risk Factors In Development of Addiction Flashcards
2 plausible direct mechanisms creating genetic vulnerability to addiction.
D2 receptor and Nicotine enzyme (CYP2A6).
D2 receptor.
Dopamine transmission is affected by the number of dopamine receptors you have, and this number is genetically controlled.
Different types of dopamine receptor.
Addicted people = abnormally low number of D2 receptors.
Fewer receptors = less dopamine activity, so drugs = a way of compensating for deficiency.
Nicotine enzyme (CYP2A6).
Some individus more able to metabolise certain substances = linked to addiction.
Pianezza et al (1998) = some people lack fully functioning enzyme (CYP2A6) which metabolises nicotine; smoke less significantly less than smoker with fully functioning version.
Expression of CYP2A6 = genetically determined.
Stress.
Andersen and Teicher (2008) highlight the role of adverse childhood experiences in later addiction.
Argue that early experiences of severe stress = damaging effects on young brain in sensitive period of development = creates vulnerability to later stress.
Further stressful experiences in teens and adulthood trigger early vulnerability and make it more likely for addictions.
Personality.
Addiction linked to disordered personality; antisocial personality disorder = also addicted substance users.
Robins (1998) argues APD - causal risk factor for addiction because having APD = personality breaks social norms, is impulsive and behave criminally.
Therefore is almost inevitable that someone with APD will try drugs at a young age because drug-taking offers combination of norm-breaking, criminal activity and also satisfaction of own desires.
Family Influences.
Apparent in alcohol addiction.
Livingston et al (2010) found final-yr high school students who were allowed to drink at home were significantly more likely to drink excessively at following yr of college.
Teens whose parents have little/no interest in monitoring behaviour = more likely to develop an addiction.
Key determinant - teen’s perception; more important than whether or not parents really monitor teen’s behaviour.
Peers.
Mary O’Connell et al (2009) - 3 major elements to peer influence.
An at-risk teen’s attitudes and norms about drinking influenced by linking with peers who use alcohol.
These experienced peers provide more opportunities for the at-risk individuals to use alcohol.
Individual overestimates how much their peers are drinking = they drink more to keep up with the perceived norm.
Peer attitudes ultimately influence substance absuse don’t have to specifically concern the substances.
Strength - genetic vulnerability.
P: There is research support for adoption studies about genetic vulnerability being a risk factor.
E: Kendler et al (2012) used data from National Swedish Adoption Study. They looked especially after adults who had been adopted away, as children, from biological families in which at least one parent had an addiction.
E: These children had a significantly greater risk of developing an addiction themselves, compared with adopted-away individuals with no addicted parent in their biological families.
L: This supports the role of genetic vulnerability as an important risk factor, and is supported by other research.
Limitation - Stress.
P: There is little clarity to the issue of causation as stress being a risk factor.
E: Many studies have shown there is a strong positive correlation between stressful experiences and addiction.
E: However, this does not necessarily mean that stress is the risk factor. What matters is the order in which the stress and the addiction developed. Some people may become addicted even though they have not experienced any significant life stress. Their addictions then create greater levels of stress in their lives because of the negative effects of the lifestyle. This would still produce a positive correlation but in this case addiction caused the stress rather than vice versa.
L: Therefore we cannot conclude stress is a significant risk factor based on correlational studies alone.
Strength - personality.
P: It is supported by the link between addiction and APD.
E: Sever studies show that APD and alcohol dependence are co-morbid.
E: Bahlmann et al (2002) interviewed 55 alcohol-dependent people of which 18 were also diagnosed with APD. For these 18 participants, the researchers found that APD developed 4 years before their alcohol dependency, on average.
L: This finding August that APD is indeed a personality-related risk factor for alcohol addiction.
Strength - Family influences.
P: There is research supporting family influences as a risk factor.
E: Madras et al (2019) found a strong positive correlation between parent’s use (abuse) of cannabis and their teen children’s use of cannabis, nicotine, alcohol and opioids.
E: It may be that teens observe their parents using a specific drug and model this behaviour. They may also infer that their parents approve of drug use generally, so go on to use other drugs.
L: This supports the view that parental substance abuse is a potential risk factor for wider addiction in adolescent offspring.
Strength - peers.
P: There is real-world application.
E: Social norm marketing advertising (SNMA) is an intervention to change mistaken beliefs about how much their peers are drinking. It uses mass media advertising to provide messages and statistics about how much people really drink.
E: For example, beer mats, posters and leaflets 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.
L: This means that identification of risk factors can suggest ways to reduce the influence of such factors.
