Implications of genetic attributions for addiction among addiction professionals

Abstract

Given increasing emphasis on understanding the role of genes in the etiology of addictive disorders, the present study aimed to investigate the implications of genetic explanations of addiction for attitudes and beliefs about patients among addiction treatment providers. Participants were recruited from addiction-related professional organizations. The sample included professionals with medical backgrounds (n = 153) and with nonmedical backgrounds (n = 232). They viewed a description of a fictitious patient with either alcohol use disorder or gambling disorder, which was experimentally varied to indicate the presence or absence of a genetic cause. They completed measures of their genetic attributions for the patient's symptoms as well as their attitudes and beliefs about the patient. The presence of a genetic explanation increased genetic attribution ratings but did not significantly affect other measured variables. However, participants' genetic attributions for the patient's symptoms were associated with significantly lower ascriptions of blame to the patient and greater belief in the effectiveness of medication, but also with reduced confidence in the effectiveness of psychotherapy and with pessimism about the patient's prognosis. Geneticized, biomedical conceptualizations of addiction may have implications for treatment providers' attitudes toward patients.