Risk Factors (Family, Peers) Flashcards
(17 cards)
Describe research into family influences as a risk factor of addiction
Social learning theory claims that behaviours are learned through the observation of those people with whom a person has the most social contact.
Parents are social models for their offspring, for example, adolescents with substance abusing parents are more likely to abuse themselves.
Research has found that patterns of gambling were transmitted within families in gendered ways. Males first
experience of gambling being through their fathers, and females through their mothers. The types of gambling
activities were also gendered, with females introduced mainly to machines and bingo and males to sports betting.
How may parenting style affect addiction
Perceived parental approval is the extent to which an adolescent believes that his or her parents have positive
attitudes towards a particular drug, or drugs in general, or potentially addictive behaviours such as gambling.
The key determinant here is the at-risk individual’s perception of approval.
What examples of parenting styles may affect addiction
- Degree of parental control – how much a parent intervenes in their child’s life
- Parental warmth – how much positive affect a parent shows for their child
-
Authoritative parents – show warmth but also exert appropriate control.
This type of parenting is associated with the
shaping of psychological resilience and emotional well-being in children, and lowered levels of substance abuse.
How may sibling influence act as a risk factor
Sibling influence has generally been shown to be stronger than parental influence when it comes to substance use and deviant behaviour in general.
This appears to be a product of modelling in the sibling relationship. The power imbalance between older and younger siblings suggests that older siblings serve as ‘role models’ for the younger sibling.
Modelling normalises substance use, it is likely that younger siblings would gravitate towards peers who resemble and
validate their older sibling’s behaviour.
What is a strength and limitation of Family influence as a risk of addiction
S: Supporting evidence
L: Interventions only target parents not siblings
Evaluate supporting evidence as a strength of Family influence as a risk factor
P: Supporting evidence for perceived parental approval
E: Livingston et.al found that final year school students who were allowed by their parents to drink alcohol at home were significantly more likely to drink excessively the following year at college.
E: This strengthens the claim that the family context can influence individuals to engage in risky behaviours.
Evaluate that interventions only target parents as a limitation of Family influence as a risk factor
P: A limitation of intervention studies is that most they tend to target parents not siblings.
E: Interventions targeted only at the adolescent user or their parents could be undermined by sibling influences, given
that older siblings are more likely to be engaged in antisocial and substance use behaviours than their younger siblings and more likely to be the main source of influence for them.
E: Failure to address sibling influences is therefore likely to hinder efforts to reduce early substance use and later
substance dependence.
Describe the effect of peers as a risk factor of addiction
peer relationships become the most important psychosocial risk factor, outstripping even family influences. This is true even in cases where peers have not used drugs themselves.
Peer attitudes that ultimately influence drug use do not have to specifically concern drugs. What is influential is the
creation of a group norm which favours rule-breaking generally. Drug use is just one example of this.
In other words, peer influence can underpin virtually any addiction
What are the three major elements to peer influence as a risk factor for alcohol
addiction suggested by O’Connell
- An at-risk adolescent’s attitudes and norms about drinking are influenced by associating with peers who use
alcohol - These experienced peers provide more opportunities for the at-risk individual to use alcohol
- The individual overestimates how much their peers are drinking which means they drink more in order to keep
up with the perceived norm
What is normative social influence
Individuals might give in to peer pressure to engage in certain addictive behaviours due to a desire to be accepted and
avoid ridicule and rejection.
What is Social identity theory
A significant part of an individual’s self-identity is formed as a result of the groups of which they are part of – the
ingroup.
As it is essential to be associated with the ingroup in order to be socially accepted, this makes individuals more likely to adopt their behaviours. This is not only to show that they identify and belong to the group, but also to identify the group as separate from other ‘out-groups’ - that is ones without positive attitudes to addictive behaviour
What are social networks
Among adolescents, smokers tend to befriend smokers, and non-smokers befriend other non-smokers. Therefore, social
networks often comprise of individuals with similar habits.
How does social learning theory affect peer pressure
Peers act as a form of vicarious reinforcement. Addictive behaviours might be learned through the observation of
peers and subsequent modelling of this behaviour
What is indirect peer influence
Peer influences may sometimes be expressed through indirect parental influence.
An adult who uses positive parenting behaviour with their own adolescent child may also act as an effective mentor for their child’s friends. Because the
parents of friends are not part of that individual’s adolescent-parent conflict, these adolescents may feel freer to
express concerns they may not be able to express with their own parents and may be more open to influence from their friends’ parents as a result.
What is a strength and limitation of peers as a risk factor of addiction
S: Support evidence
L: Don’t know if it has a direct impact
Evaluate supporting evidence as a strength of Peers as a risk factor
P: There is supporting evidence for the influence of peer pressure on addictive behaviour.
E: Stock found that teenagers who viewed peers Facebook profiles that portrayed alcohol use reported a greater willingness to use alcohol, more positive feelings towards it and lower perceptions of its negative
consequences. This suggests that exposure to social media alters adolescents’ normative perceptions and other alcohol related risk cognitions.
Eiser et al found support for the claim that perceived rewards such as social status and popularity are instrumental in why adolescents begin smoking and remain important while they continue to smoke.
E: This evidence supports that peers are an important influence on addictive behaviour and suggests that operant
conditioning provides a good explanation for the influence of peers on addiction.
Evaluate that it may not have a direct impact as a limitation of peers as a risk factor
P: It is difficult to establish if peer pressure precedes addictive behaviour and has a direct impact on it.
E: It is possible that individuals who are already dependent tend to select peer groups that conform to their own dependency behaviour patterns i.e. those who have a similar personality and habits).
E: It therefore might be the case that the addictive behaviour is the reason that the peer group is formed in the first place rather than the peer group influencing the addictive behaviour.
