Risk factors

Question 1

What is a risk factor?

Answer 1

Anything internal or external that increases likelihood of an individual starting to engage in addictive behaviour or use drugs

Question 2

Name the 5 risk factors?

Answer 2

Genetic vulnerability
Stress
Personality
Family influences
Peers

Question 3

What can inheriting a predisposition increase?

Answer 3

The risk of addiction

Question 4

What is genetic vulnerability explained as?

Answer 4

An interaction between genes and environmental factors

Question 5

Two reasons for genetic vulnerability?!

Answer 5

D2 receptors
Metabolism

Question 6

What is the D2 receptor responsible for?

Answer 6

Communicating with dopamine

Question 7

What is the amount of D2 receptors an individual has down to?

Answer 7

Genetics

Question 8

Is having more or less D2 receptors associated with addiction? Why?

Answer 8

Less as it leads to problems with experiencing pleasure from everyday activities, turn to substance/behaviour to compensate for deficiency

Question 9

How is metabolism relevant to addiction?

Answer 9

Some individuals metabolise substances quicker than others as they may need more

Question 10

How does an individual have a fast metabolism?

Answer 10

Inherited through genes

Question 11

Who found that some people lack a fully functioning enzyme?

Answer 11

Pianezza

Question 12

What enzyme did Pianezza find?

Answer 12

CYP2A6

Question 13

What does CYP2A6 enzyme metabolise?

Answer 13

Nicotine

Question 14

Are you more or less likely to smoke if you lack the CYP2A6 enzyme?

Answer 14

Less

Question 15

What is stress?

Answer 15

An individual experiences state of arousal that occurs when they do not have the ability to cope with perceived threat

Question 16

What may people who experience stress turn to?

Answer 16

Addictive substances or behaviours as a form of self-medication for stress

Question 17

What have been linked to the risk of developing addiction? (stress)

Answer 17

Periods of chronic, long lasting stress
Traumatic life events in childhood

Question 18

What did Anderson and Teicher find about stress?

Answer 18

early experiences of severe stress have damaging effects on a young brain, further stress could trigger vulnerability

Question 19

What does an addictive personality suggest there is a correlation between?

Answer 19

Certain traits and addiction

Question 20

What personality disorder leads to a high vulnerability to addiction?

Answer 20

Anti social personality disorder

Question 21

What kind of personality traits is included in the anti-social personality disorder?

Answer 21

Neurotic and psychotic traits

Question 22

High levels of neuroticism shown through?

Answer 22

High levels of anxiety, irritability, low self efficacy

Question 23

High levels of psychoticism shown through?

Answer 23

Aggressive, impulsive, emotionally detached

Question 24

Are individuals with pathological personalities more likely to become addicts? Why?

Answer 24

Yes, offers some relief and helps them

Question 25

What are the three family influences on her create vulnerability to addiction?

Answer 25

Perceived parental approval Little interest in monitoring behaviour Exposure to substance/behaviour

Question 26

Why does perceived parental approval make someone more vulnerable to addiction?

Answer 26

Their parents show positive attitudes towards a certain behaviour/substance making the adolescent think it is appropriate

Question 27

What did Livingstone et al find about family influences?

Answer 27

Final year high school students who were allowed, by their parents, to drink alcohol were more likely to drink excessively at college

Question 28

What does SLT suggest about family influences?

Answer 28

Individual observes a family member (role model) engaging in addictive behaviour and imitate this behaviour as they identify with them

Question 29

Define peer?

Answer 29

People who share interests, age, background and social status

Question 30

Why do peers influence an individuals development during adolescence?

Answer 30

Spend more time with them and less with family

Question 31

Some psychologists may argue peers are a ? to addiction

Answer 31

Gateway

Question 32

What did O’Connell et al suggest about peers?

Answer 32

Adolescents are at risk of developing alcohol addiction due to influence of their peers

Question 33

What were O’Connells 3 major elements? (peers)

Answer 33

Attitudes and norms to drinking alcohol Opportunities to drink alcohol Individual perception

Question 34

What is attitudes and norms to drinking alcohol?

Answer 34

An individuals attitude towards drinking alcohol can be influenced by associating with groups of peers who drank alcohol

Question 35

What is individuals perception?

Answer 35

The individual may overestimate how much their peers drink and therefore drink to keep up with them