Novelty Seeking as a Moderator of Risk for Alcoholism

Robert Cloninger and other researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine are reporting that individuals with substance use disorders exhibit high levels of novelty seeking. The researchers conclude that those individuals that are high in novelty seeking and have a family member that is dependent on alcohol is more at risk of substance use disorders. They also conclude that those individuals that are low in novelty seeking may be protected in the risk of substance use disorders.

Overview of Cloninger's Theory of Personality

Robert Cloninger takes a biosocial approach to personality theory. Cloninger is medical doctor and Professor of Psychology at Washington University in St. Louis. He is best known for developing the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) for the characterization of personality traits.

Cloninger's tridimensional personality questionnaire (TPQ) gives somewhat confusing results when applied to alcoholism. He states that alcoholics fall into two subtypes. Type I alcoholics are characterized by loss-of-control drinking. They tend to exhibit guilt and fear when drinking to excess. Type II alcoholics are characterized by the persistent alcohol seeking and exhibiting high novelty seeking. What makes it somewhat confusing is that Cloninger states Type II alcoholics are more prone to committing domestic abuse as a result of their drinking.

Cloninger developed a tridimensional personality questionnaire that rates behavior by novelty seeking, harm avoidances and reward dependence scales. The Washington University researchers searched the literature for applications of TPQ to substance abuse and statistically analyzed findings. Their findings show that there is increased risk in depression in individuals who have family members who are dependent on alcohol. These individuals are also three to four times higher to suffer from substance use disorders as it is in individuals who do not have a substance problem. Higher rates of familial risk has also been associated with the development of more severe levels of substance abuse, less successful treatments and a higher rate of relapse.

Data came from a large study of alcoholism. The researchers analyzed novelty seeking and alcohol dependence in siblings from two groups of families that were considered at risk. One group was considered high risk while the other was lower in risk. The lower risk group consisted of neither parent being alcohol dependent whereas the higher risk group had at least one parent that was dependent on alcohol. The demographics in the study were close to evenly distributed between male and female.

Analysis

On a personal note, I have never touched alcohol because I've seen firsthand how it can destroy lives. Witnessing my dad who was an alcoholic until age 74 when I had the courage to make the intervention and make him stop cold turkey. As a result of these years of alcohol abuse, it leads to the last two years of me being a full time caregiver for him up until his final days in hospice care.

Based on personal experiences of growing up with an alcoholic parent has left me with the following question. What are the risk factors of being in a family with at least one alcoholic parent? All the research evidence would point to the individual being more likely to become an alcoholic. If both of the parents are constantly out drinking it leaves the child on his or her own more. This causes the child to have a higher percentage of getting into drugs, alcohol, becoming depressed and or overly social and dropping out of school. These are just observations done from recent studies. There is no reason that a child with an alcoholic parent could not become president of the US or some other very successful position.

There is every reason pointing to a child becoming an advocate against alcoholism. If the child is in a household with just one alcoholic parent and that alcoholic parent happens to be the "bread-winner," it would cause the child to act more of a grown up and help out his or her mother. The mother may become stressed because the father prefers to go out drinking away the finances. This can cause the mother to go out into the workforce to support the household, leaving the child home alone causing the child to begin acting as a grown up. In today's economy of dual-income families, children are increasingly left in this position. As a result, this can explain why puberty is being experienced at even younger ages.

References

Grucza, R., Cloninger, C., Bucholz, K., Constantino, J., Schuckit, M., Dick, D., et al. (2006, July). Novelty Seeking as a Moderator of Familial Risk for Alcohol Dependence. Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, 30(7), 1176-1183. Retrieved September 15, 2008, doi:10.1111/j.1530-0277.2006.00133.x