A03-The role of genetics in addiction

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Created on: 04-01-24 16:45


	A03-The role of genetics in addiction
	Advantages Application to method of modification-Pharmacogenetics-investigation of how genetics can affect responses to medicines-Naltrexone =treats alcoholism, suggests it is more effective oin those with a specific gene mutation and leads to fewer relapses-although relatively expensive ,may be possible to carry out gene mapping on individuals to work out which medication are likely to be most effective Supporting evidence- Kendler and Prescott(1998)-interviewed 2000 female twins-found that heavy use and abuse of drugs including cocaine was more dependent on genetic factors than environmental factors-concordance rate for dependency on drugs-MZ=35% DZ=0%	Disadvantages Determinism and ethical implication-The genetic explanation for addiction assumes that addictive behaviours are determined with no element of free will -cam reduce the amount of blame placed on the addict themselves as it suggests that they could not have controlled their addiction -Lewis (2015) argues that labelling addiction as a disease damages self esteem of an addict as it makes them feel helpless-it could also lead to addict being less likely to accept responsibility which is important if they want to overcome addiction Reductionist-to claim that any addiction is caused solely by genes when there are so many different genes involved in different phases of the process-a diathesis-stress explanation may be deemed as more effective as it considers the role of both nature and nurture -suggests that addiction only develops when a genetic predisposition to a particular disorder is triggered by environmental stressor-Kaufman et al (2007) the serotonin transporter gene (5HTT) has also been linked to development of alcoholism but not on its own-appears to interact closely with environmental factors such as maltreatment in childhood
	Evaluation Social factors-Boardman et al(2008)- studied sibling and twin pairs-found that although there was a strong genetic component in the onset of smoking behaviour the rate of daily smoking was highest in the school where the most popular students were smokers-genetic predisposition to smoke is expressed when influenced by social factors such as peers. Also cultural factors can play a role as supported by research evidence from Kendler et al (2000)-showed that heritability of tobacco use changed over time-studied Swedish twin pairs born between 1910 and 1958-women born in earlier years=little influence of genetic factors-those born later=heritability was around 60%-rate for men was fairly stable. Overall they are many factors that contribute to addiction, genetics alone is not a complete explanation for addictive behaviours.

A03-The role of genetics in addiction

Advantages

Application to method of modification-Pharmacogenetics-investigation of how genetics can affect responses to medicines-Naltrexone =treats alcoholism, suggests it is more effective oin those with a specific gene mutation and leads to fewer relapses-although relatively expensive ,may be possible to carry out gene mapping on individuals to work out which medication are likely to be most effective
Supporting evidence- Kendler and Prescott(1998)-interviewed 2000 female twins-found that heavy use and abuse of drugs including cocaine was more dependent on genetic factors than environmental factors-concordance rate for dependency on drugs-MZ=35% DZ=0%

Disadvantages

Determinism and ethical implication-The genetic explanation for addiction assumes that addictive behaviours are determined with no element of free will -cam reduce the amount of blame placed on the addict themselves as it suggests that they could not have controlled their addiction -Lewis (2015) argues that labelling addiction as a disease damages self esteem of an addict as it makes them feel helpless-it could also lead to addict being less likely to accept responsibility which is important if they want to overcome addiction
Reductionist-to claim that any addiction is caused solely by genes when there are so many different genes involved in different phases of the process-a diathesis-stress explanation may be deemed as more effective as it considers the role of both nature and nurture -suggests that addiction only develops when a genetic predisposition to a particular disorder is triggered by environmental stressor-Kaufman et al (2007) the serotonin transporter gene (5HTT) has also been linked to development of alcoholism but not on its own-appears to interact closely with environmental factors such as maltreatment in childhood

Evaluation

Social factors-Boardman et al(2008)- studied sibling and twin pairs-found that although there was a strong genetic component in the onset of smoking behaviour the rate of daily smoking was highest in the school where the most popular students were smokers-genetic predisposition to smoke is expressed when influenced by social factors such as peers. Also cultural factors can play a role as supported by research evidence from Kendler et al (2000)-showed that heritability of tobacco use changed over time-studied Swedish twin pairs born between 1910 and 1958-women born in earlier years=little influence of genetic factors-those born later=heritability was around 60%-rate for men was fairly stable. Overall they are many factors that contribute to addiction, genetics alone is not a complete explanation for addictive behaviours.

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A03-The role of genetics in addiction