Notes Risk Behavior and Addiction in Adolescence L1
Risk behavior = behavior that pose a risk to a healthy physical, cognitive,
psychosocial development of adolescents. In this course we will mainly
look at substance use (smoking/ vaping, alcohol use, drug, etc.) and other
risk behaviors (gaming, gambling, etc.).
The general developmental process of addiction:
1. Contact with a substance.
2. Experimenting with a substance.
3. Integrated use, it’s becoming part of your daily life.
4. Excessive use, it’s becoming a lot that you do something.
5. Addicted use.
What we tend to regard as ‘risk behavior’ depends on:
- Characteristics of the particular substance or behavior. For
example, nicotine addiction can develop faster than a gaming
addiction.
- Cultural and societal norms. For example, in the western society
we think that 1 or 2 wines is not much, but in Islamic cultures they
think it’s much.
- Advances in scientific knowledge. For example, knowledge on
the risks of alcohol use for the development of the adolescent brain.
Predictors of risk behavior (The Behavior Change Wheel):
1. Capability, are you capable to use it.
2. Opportunity, do you have the opportunity to use it.
3. Motivation, do you want to use it?
Adolescence defined in these subject = +10-24 years old.
Early adolescence (aged 10-14)
Physical growth, sexual maturation, psychosocial development (parents
become less important and friends more important), social identity
formation (how others see you).
Mid adolescence (aged 15-17)
Experimenting with (risk) behaviors, personal identity formation (how do I
see myself).
Late adolescence (aged 18-24)
Practicing adult roles (first job, first relationship, etc.). Gaining more stable
identity of yourself.
Neurological development in adolescence:
1. Strong grow in brain volume:
Decrease in grey matter (nerve cells). This will happen earlier
to girls than to boys. They grey matter that you use a lot, will
stay. And the parts that you don’t use a lot, you will lose.
Increase in white matter (connections between the nerve cells)
, 2. High plasticity and flexibility of the brain, this ends around the age of
25.
3. Increase in white matter, the communication between brain regions
strongly improves.
Long term memory increases.
Capacity for abstract (critical) thinking and metacognition
increases. You can think more critical about things.
Risk behavior in a line:
Why is this?
The speed of the development of two different brain regions differs.
- The affective-motivational system (emotional brain) develops fast in
adolescence. Results out of an experiment show that adolescents
experience stronger positive emotion than adults when they receive
or anticipate a reward. This process is enhanced by testosterone.
Men have more testosterone, that’s why they get involved in risky
behavior more.
- The control system (rational brain) develops slowly. The rational
brain plays an important role in the development of executive
functions: Risk estimation, monitoring long-term goals and inhibition
of the tendency to respond to (short-term) possibilities for reward
(impulse control, behavioral inhibition, self-control).
The Maturational Imbalance Model
Increased risk-taking during adolescence is a result of an imbalance
between reward sensitivity (the affective-motivational system) and
impulse control (control system).
, Psychoactive substance = are chemical substances that cross the blood-
brain barrier and effect the function of the central nervous system thereby
changing mood, perceptions, or consciousness. For example, chocolate
does not cross your blood-brain barrier and is therefore not a psychoactive
substance.
Psychoactive substances differ in:
1. Type and strength of the psychoactive effect. For example, the
psychoactive effects of smoking are low.
2. The degree of which they elicit craving and loss of control. For
example, the craving and loss of control of smoking is very high.
Types of drugs (based on their psychoactive effects).
1. Hallucinogens
2. Downer (depressants)
3. Uppers (stimulants)
Intentional addiction versus extensional addiction
Intentional addiction = these definitions aim to describe a causal
addiction process.
Extensional addiction = a classification of characteristics of an
addiction.
Risk behavior = behavior that pose a risk to a healthy physical, cognitive,
psychosocial development of adolescents. In this course we will mainly
look at substance use (smoking/ vaping, alcohol use, drug, etc.) and other
risk behaviors (gaming, gambling, etc.).
The general developmental process of addiction:
1. Contact with a substance.
2. Experimenting with a substance.
3. Integrated use, it’s becoming part of your daily life.
4. Excessive use, it’s becoming a lot that you do something.
5. Addicted use.
What we tend to regard as ‘risk behavior’ depends on:
- Characteristics of the particular substance or behavior. For
example, nicotine addiction can develop faster than a gaming
addiction.
- Cultural and societal norms. For example, in the western society
we think that 1 or 2 wines is not much, but in Islamic cultures they
think it’s much.
- Advances in scientific knowledge. For example, knowledge on
the risks of alcohol use for the development of the adolescent brain.
Predictors of risk behavior (The Behavior Change Wheel):
1. Capability, are you capable to use it.
2. Opportunity, do you have the opportunity to use it.
3. Motivation, do you want to use it?
Adolescence defined in these subject = +10-24 years old.
Early adolescence (aged 10-14)
Physical growth, sexual maturation, psychosocial development (parents
become less important and friends more important), social identity
formation (how others see you).
Mid adolescence (aged 15-17)
Experimenting with (risk) behaviors, personal identity formation (how do I
see myself).
Late adolescence (aged 18-24)
Practicing adult roles (first job, first relationship, etc.). Gaining more stable
identity of yourself.
Neurological development in adolescence:
1. Strong grow in brain volume:
Decrease in grey matter (nerve cells). This will happen earlier
to girls than to boys. They grey matter that you use a lot, will
stay. And the parts that you don’t use a lot, you will lose.
Increase in white matter (connections between the nerve cells)
, 2. High plasticity and flexibility of the brain, this ends around the age of
25.
3. Increase in white matter, the communication between brain regions
strongly improves.
Long term memory increases.
Capacity for abstract (critical) thinking and metacognition
increases. You can think more critical about things.
Risk behavior in a line:
Why is this?
The speed of the development of two different brain regions differs.
- The affective-motivational system (emotional brain) develops fast in
adolescence. Results out of an experiment show that adolescents
experience stronger positive emotion than adults when they receive
or anticipate a reward. This process is enhanced by testosterone.
Men have more testosterone, that’s why they get involved in risky
behavior more.
- The control system (rational brain) develops slowly. The rational
brain plays an important role in the development of executive
functions: Risk estimation, monitoring long-term goals and inhibition
of the tendency to respond to (short-term) possibilities for reward
(impulse control, behavioral inhibition, self-control).
The Maturational Imbalance Model
Increased risk-taking during adolescence is a result of an imbalance
between reward sensitivity (the affective-motivational system) and
impulse control (control system).
, Psychoactive substance = are chemical substances that cross the blood-
brain barrier and effect the function of the central nervous system thereby
changing mood, perceptions, or consciousness. For example, chocolate
does not cross your blood-brain barrier and is therefore not a psychoactive
substance.
Psychoactive substances differ in:
1. Type and strength of the psychoactive effect. For example, the
psychoactive effects of smoking are low.
2. The degree of which they elicit craving and loss of control. For
example, the craving and loss of control of smoking is very high.
Types of drugs (based on their psychoactive effects).
1. Hallucinogens
2. Downer (depressants)
3. Uppers (stimulants)
Intentional addiction versus extensional addiction
Intentional addiction = these definitions aim to describe a causal
addiction process.
Extensional addiction = a classification of characteristics of an
addiction.
