The Biological Approach Flashcards
Initiation of Gambling + Smoking
The role of Genetics
The role of genetics in initiation of Gambling
Studies show pathological gambling runs in families
Shah et al twin study: found evidence of genetic transmission of gambling in men
Black et al: 1st degree relatives of p gamblers = more likely to suffer than more distant relatives
Demonstrates strong genetic link
2 maintenance theories for Gambling
Paris et al: Pituitary-adrenal response
Zuckerman: Sensation seeking
Pituitary adrenal response
p gambling is associated with underactive pituitary-adrenal response to gambling stimuli
Paris et al
Measured gamblers cortisol levels before + after watching gambling vid + vid of neutral stimuli.
Found recreational = increase salivary cortisol in response to both,
Pathological = no salivary cortisol increase in response to both
Cortisol
The stress hormone associated with the pituitary-adrenal response
Sensation-seeking
Claimed indi differences in need for optimal amounts of stimulation
Sensation seekers look for varied + novel experiences
High sensation seekers = lower appreciation of risk + anticipate arousal as more positive than do low sensation-seekers = more likely to gamble
Relapse in Gambling
Boredom avoidance
P gambler seen as person who needs this intense stimulation + excitement
Research: p gamblers = higher boredom proneness scores than a control group of non-gamblers
The role of genetics in Smoking initiation
Vink et al
Studied 1,572 Dutch twin pairs, found both m + f indi differences in smoking initiation = explained by genetic (44%) and environmental (56%) influences
Boardman et al: 348 identical twin pairs + 321 same-sex fraternal pairs = heritability for reg smoking = 42%
2 maintenance theories for smoking
Effects of nicotine
Pre-natal exposure to nicotine
Effects of nicotine
Vink et al:
Nicotine dependence was influenced primarily by genetic factors = 75%
Suggests although initiation of smoking might be influenced by environmental, reg tobacco use = link more to indi differences in nicotine metabolism
Nicotine affects brain: leads to release of dopamine = short feeling of pleasure which soon drops = smoke again = CYCLE
Pre-natal exposure to nicotine
Mothers who smoked whilst pregnant = if children smoke = addicted
Relapse in Smoking
Xian et al:
Twin study to test whether genetic risk factors contributed to failed attempts to quit smoking = 54% of the risk for failure could be attributed to heritability
Tried to indentify specific gene clusters associated with quit success + with nicotine dependence = aim of matching specific anti-smoking treatments with smokers most likely to benefit from them
Reductionism
It reduces a complex phenomenon to a simple level of explanation
Reducing addiction to just action of genes or chemicals ignores all other potential influences e.g. social context
Explaining indi differences
Explains why some people develop P Gambling yet others with the environmental experiences + life pressures do not
Some people are more vulnerable because of their genetic predisposition
Also explains why some are more resistant to treatment + why some are more likely to relapse = genetic vulnerability
Limitation of Biological approach to Gambling
Ignores the importance of external factors in the development of gambling e.g. accessibility to opportunities + provision of alcohol whilst gambling
Explanatory limitations of the biological approach
Cannot explain why some types of gambling are more addictive than others
M + W who got hooked on video gambling became compulsive gamblers in about 1 year
Where as betting tended to take about 3 1/2 years before at risk of developing compulsive gambling addiction
Supporting research evidence for Smoking explanation
Identified a specific gene variant on chromosome 15 that influenced the number of cigs smoked per day, nicotine dependence + risk of developing smoking-related diseases
Smoked less than 10 a day = less likely to have this gene variant
Suggests genetic factors may not determine smoking initiation but make it more likely they will become dependent
+ve of biological explanation for Smoking
By regarding smoking addiction as a biological problem = creates possibility that can be treated with drugs
Implications for treatment for smoking
Genomic medicine = screening people to identify those who carry genes that increase susceptibility to specific diseases or addictions
Those found with higher genetic risk = advised to change behaviour or seek medial treatment to reduce chance of developing smoking related diseases
Gartner et al
Screening for genetic susceptibility to smoking is unlikely to be successful, given small association between genes + smoking addiction
