Lecture 1
Our older ancestors were using substance, they drink beer. The development of addiction is still a
trending topic.
The tobacco industry is adding nice flavors to vapes so that people get addicted to vaping. Its about
money. If you develop a addiction now the chance is high you will be addicted later in your live. This
is also fort he alcohol industry, gaming and gok industry. They know a lot about getting people
addicted.
Content
1. How do we define Risk Behaviour?
2. Which (neurological) developments take place during adolescence?
3. Why is there a peak in risk behaviours during adolescence?
4. What are psycho-active substances (drugs)?
5. How do we define Addiction?
6. Which implicit/automatic processes underlie the development of addiction?
7. Can one become addicted to games or to social media?
Definition Risk behavior: Behaviors that pose a risk to a healthy physical, cognitive, psychosocial
development of adolescents
-Substance use:(e.g., smoking, alcohol use, cannabis use, use of XTC and other party drugs)
-Other risk behaviors (e.g., gambling, gaming, social media use)
-The development of addiction. In most cases addictions developing are a proces.
Its starts with contact with a substance (people around you use, you are gonna experiment wit hit,
you like it)
Experimenting with a substance
Integrated use
excessive use
Adddicted use
This proces differs with different substances
What we tend to regard as ‘risk behaviour’ depends on…
Ø Characteristics of the particular substance or behavior
- For instance, smoking versus gaming
(Smoking is developing very early, when you have the genetic vulnerbility, then you can develop
addiction in the experimenting stage. You have feels of craving.)
Other behaviors develop much slower, gaming is not a risk in the experimenting face, smoking wel. If
you game every day you can play it without having signs of addiction. There is a group who did
develop addiction. Gaming is addiction if you use it excessive.
Cultural and societal norms hebben invloed.
Example: alcohol use in western versus Islamic cultures. (we say that its normal and a moderate use if
you drink every day. But in the islamic cultures they believe that drinking one glass a year is risk
behavior. )
,Scientific knowledge determains if behavior is risk behavior.
When she was young she didn’t know it was bad for the brain. But kno wits different. Her parents
smoked when they were younger, they thought it was part of adolescence and growing up. But know
a days we know it is a risk factor.
This is the COM-B model, this model is about predictors of risk behavior.
For some addictions you have to have capability (hard drugs and gaming).
On the last lecture we will behandel this model: capability opportunity and motivation is in the model
already.
The article of trucco is about the predictors of adolescent substance use.
2. Which (neurological) developments take place during adolescence?
Adolescence (+10 – 24 years)
-Early adolescence (aged 10 – 13): physical growth, sexual maturation, psychosocial development,
social identity formation. (girls grow faster than boys, peers are becoming more important than
parents. Identity formation is important, but social identity is only developet in this age. They think
about how do people look at me and think of me. The responses of their peers are important fort
here development. If people are bullied that has a huge effect on there development.
,Aknowledgement is importent. )
• Mid adolescence (aged 14 – 18): experimenting with (risk) behaviours, personal identity formation.
(Know they care about how they precieve there selfs. It is important tob e different know a days.
What makes me unique what are me strengts weaknesses. Its about someones owns vision.
• Late adolescence (aged 19 – 24): practicing adult roles. (voorbeelden: jobs, living without parents,
having a love partner.
-There is also a neurological development during adolescence
1. Strong grow in brain volume: increase in white matter (connections) your
brain that
allows the exchange of information and communication between
different areas of your brain), decrease in grey matter (nerve cells). The grey matter
throughout the central nervous system allows enables individuals to control movement,
memory, and emotions.
-Loss of gray matter among girls and boys by age. There is a peak around puberty.
, (pruning, snoeien, if you dont use it you lose it. Thats the case during your early adolescence. All the
grey matter that isn’t used it dissapears.)
-To illustrate this point, If you game a lot. THere will be a lot of gaming skills that will be developed. It
had bennefit to play games. But if playing games has invloed op andere dingen. Invloed op je real live
contact. Than gaming behavior will decrease your social skills. So don’t play only games, social skills
need to be developed.
3. High plasticity of the brain ( your brain is flexible).
The connection becomes stronger, Increase in white matter: communication between brain regions
strongly improves. THis results in better long term memory increases.
And it results in capacity for abstract thinking / metacognition increases (meta = thinking about
yourself). Young people become more critical towords the outside world. Everything is gonna work
more efficiantly.
We gaan verder met
3. Why is there a peak in risk behaviours during adolescence?
There is a peak in risk behavior, mostly in addolescence, It follows an inverted u shaped curve.
More crime, meer auto ongelukken, but in the adulthood there in natural recovery.
