biological risk factors

genetic vulnerability as a risk factor for addiction

• Research into genetic vulnerability to addiction analyses the genetic structure of the individual and compares DNA sequences of family members to identify genes involved in addiction to a particular substance or behaviour

• The likelihood of someone becoming a smoker, gambler or alcohol-dependent is viewed in the context of increased risk if a person’s parents of MZ twin engages in these behaviours

research which investigates genetic vulnerability as a risk factor

• Kendler et al. (1997)

  • Conducted a longitudinal study over 40 years and found that the concordance rates for alcohol abuse in a large sample of almost 9,000 Swedish MZ twins were consistently significantly higher than for DZ twins, suggesting a genetic component

• Slutske et al. (2010)

  • Found that MZ twins had a higher concordance rate for a gambling disorder (49% for male pairs and 55% for female pairs) in comparison to DZ twins (21% for male and female pairs), suggesting genetic vulnerability was partly responsible

strengths of research investigating biological factors

• There is a large amount of twin and family research supporting the explanation of a genetic vulnerability to addiction

• Some research suggests that inherited personality traits may be responsible for addiction, with novelty-seeking being positively correlated with genetic markers for the D4 dopamine receptor and also with addiction to alcohol, which broadens the support for genetic vulnerability (Ray et al. 2009)

weaknesses of research investigating biological risk factors

• MZ twins are more likely to be treated similarly by parents than DZ twins, meaning that concordance rate differences may be the result of upbringing rather than genetic similarity, weakening the argument for a genetic vulnerability to addiction

• There are many other factors which affect the predisposition to addiction, such as exposure to the drug, availability, stress, family influence and peers, so genetic vulnerability remains an incomplete explanation

links of biological risk factors to issues & debates

• Suggesting that addiction is genetically determined supports a biological determinism stance, implying individuals have limited control over addictive behaviours

  • This undermines the role of personal choice or free will, raising ethical concerns, especially around blame or responsibility in addiction

• Genetic vulnerability is biologically reductionist, focusing on genes and neurotransmitters while ignoring psychological, social or cognitive factors

  • A more holistic approach would consider how biology interacts with the environment and personality in the development of addiction, providing a more complete explanation of addiction