Risk Factors Of Addiction

Question 1

Peers

Answer 1

Peer pressure cited as why teens start
Encouragement and approval and leading to increased popularity
Indirectly and directly rewarded

Peers most significant predictor

8X more likely if peers do

Question 2

Age

Answer 2

Influence if peers is strongest in teens
Decreases
Later romantic relationships are the most influential

Female teen heroin addicts
Most common reason for initiation was boyfriend

Question 3

Personality

Answer 3

3 dimensions
Extroversion - bored
Neuroticism - linked to depression
Psychotism - hostile

Link between high scoring neuroticism and psycotism and nicotine Addiction
Being hostile, depressive = more likely to be addictive
Causality?

Question 4

Stress

Ao2

Answer 4

Everyday stress - daily hassles - way to deal
Traumatic - child abuse/ parental loss/ post traumatic stress - way more vulnerable

30% drug addicts suffered from PTSD
15% of alcoholics suffered from PTSD

2 types of alcoholic

• deal with stress and tension
• to reduce boredom