Risk Factors

What are the 5 risk factors?

• Genetic factors

• Stress

• Personality

• Family influences

• Peers

What is the genetic vulnerability of addiction for dopamine?

Low numbers of D2 (dopamine) receptors. Fewer means less dopamine activity so addiction makes up for this deficiency.

What is the genetic vulnerability for enzymes?

Nicotine enzyme CYP2A6 where people are more easily able to break down nicotine.

What is stress as a risk factor?

Early stress which creates a later sensitivity to stress where people self medicate with addictive drugs or behaviours.

What is personality as a risk factor?

No addictive personality but addiction is associated with personality disorders like antisocial personality as most also abuse substances (because they like to break social norms)

What are family influences as a risk factor?

Parents who allow or don’t monitor their child’s alcohol and substance use. The child’s perception of the parents views. Children model their parents.

What are peers as a risk factor?

Children who associate with peers who engage in addiction which in turn creates more opportunity to engage with substances. The child overestimates the amount their peers are drinking and tries to keep up. A group norm that favours rule breaking.

Strength of Genetic Vulnerability

• Research support - adoption studies by Kendler found that those adopted from a parent with an addiction had a higher risk of developing an addiction than those who did not

Limitation of Stress

• Hard to establish causation - studies show a strong positive correlation but the order of stress and addiction cannot be confirmed as either way can cause a correlation

Strength of Personality

• Research support - Antisocial and alcohol addiction are co-morbid - Bahlmann found that for 18 people antisocial personality started 4 years before alcohol addiction

Strength for Family Influences

• Research support - Madras found a strong correlation between parents cannabis abuse and their child’s use of cannabis and more. Shows modelling of behaviour as well as belief in approval.

Strength of Peers

• Real world application - Use of social norms marketing as a form of intervention. Beer mats, posters etc are used to show statistical evidence of how much others are actually drinking