Risk factors in development of Addiction Flashcards
List risk factors
Stress
Peers
Age
Personality
Stress
Everyday stress
Traumatic stress
Everyday stress
People report D,D,S + G as means to cope with daily hassles such as relationships, money + work
Stressors can contribute to initiation + continuation of addictions, as well as relapse
Traumatic stress
P’s exposed to severe stress = more vulnerable to addictions esp children experienced parental loss or child abuse
PTSD = also linked to addiction
30% drug addicts + 15% alcoholics suffered from PTSD
Peers
SLT
Social Identity Theory
SLT
Behaviours are learned through observation of others + subsequent modelling of this behaviour
Young people = most likely to imitate behaviour of those with whom they have most social contact
Social Identity Theory
Assumes group members adopt norms + behaviours that are central to social identity of the group
In groups where status of smoker or non-smoker is central to social identity of group = indis more likely to be similar to one another in smoking habits
Age
Influence of peers on smoking + drugs wanes later in adolescence
Role of close friends + romantic partners = more important later on
Social crowd might have greater impact on smoking + drug use for young adolescents
Personality
Neuroticism + Psychoticism
Tri-dimensional theory of addictive behaviour
Neuroticism + Psychoticism
Eysenck proposed biologically based theory of personality based on 3 dimensions:
Extraversion-introversion
Neuroticism
Psychoticism
Found link between addiction + high scores of both neuroticism + psychotism
Extraversion-introversion
extroverts are chronically under-aroused + bored + seek external stimulation to increase brain arousal
Neuroticism
People high in neuroticism experience -ve affect (depression, anxiety)
Psychoticism
Related to hostility + impulsivity (reacting with little forethought)
Tri-dimensional theory of addictive behaviour
Proposed 3 personality traits that predispose individuals towards substance dependence:
Novelty seeking
Harm avoidance
Reward dependence
Novelty seeking
Trying to engage in new experiences
Harm avoidance
Which includes worrying + being pessimistic
Reward dependence
The extent to which an individual learns quickly from rewarding experiences + repeats behaviours that have been rewarded
Do addictions decrease stress?
Smokers say they smoke to reduce stress but it actually increases stress = stress may be risk factor for smoking addiction but the addiction doesn’t have the desired affect
Ethical issues in Addiction research
Research in sensitive areas = threat of sanction
Research may reveal info that is incriminating in some way = might be interviewing someone with drug addiction who may reveal illegal behaviours
Interviewer must weigh up potential benefits (intervention) against potential risks (further discrimination)
Support for SLT
Research supports claim that exposure to peer models increases the likelihood that teenagers will begin smoking
Research support for claim that perceived rewards such as social status + popularity are instrumental in why adolescents begin smoking + remain important while continue to smoke
Limitation of research on personality
Research is correlational
Difficult to tell if personality causes addiction or addiction causes personality
Belin et al
1 group of rats = sensation-seekers + immdiatly started taking large doses of cocaine
2nd group = high impulsiveness = started with lower doses but were the ones to become addicted
Evidence that personality came first = the cause of addiction
Takao et al
Issued questionnaires to students
Problematic phone user tended to be low in self-esteem + high in self-monitoring
Supports view that people who become addicted share certain personality characteristics
