Abstract
The study was conducted on a sample of 171 pairs of adult twins with the aim of determining the level of the genetic and environmental influence on individual differences for an optimal level of arousal (Zuckerman’s sensation seeking construct), and tendencies towards risky behavior (smoking and alcohol abuse). Sensation Seeking Scale and Personal Information Questionnaire were applied. The results have shown that sensation seeking subdimensions belong to the category of highly heritable personality traits (50% - 63%), as well as the smoking addiction (75%). An unshared environmental influence has also proven to be important for these variables. As for the alcohol abuse, it has been proven that it is mostly determined by the effect of the unshared environment (68%). Additionally, the additive genetic factor mainly contributes to covariation between sensation seeking constructs and different risky behaviors.
Highlights
According to the World Health Organization, alcoholism and smoking are ones of the most widespread addiction diseases
Studies with smokers have shown that sensation seeking is associated with the higher urge for cigarettes (Doran, Cook, McChargue, & Spring, 2009), stronger symptoms of negative affectivity, and anhedonia during nicotine abstinence (Carton, Le Houezec, Lagrue, & Jouvent, 2000; Leventhal et al, 2007), as well as higher recurrence rates after attempts of quitting (Kahler, Spillane, Metrik, Leventhal, & Monti, 2009). These findings suggest that sensation seeking plays an important role in initiating, escalating and maintaining this behavior
Frequency of cigarettes consumption had not been normally distributed, so we normalized it by using Tuckey data transformation
Summary
According to the World Health Organization, alcoholism and smoking are ones of the most widespread addiction diseases. It is estimated that around 2 billion people consume alcohol all over the world, with 76.3 million people having alcohol addiction. Given the fact that the alcohol consumption is associated with more than 200 types of illnesses and injuries, it has been estimated that alcohol abuse caused more than 3 million deaths worldwide in 2016 (WHO, 2018). In Serbia, 3.4% of the population consumes alcohol on a daily base, and almost 40% of the population drinks alcohol periodically. That alcohol abuse is a socially acceptable activity, but it is favored to the level of compulsory rituals in many social situations (celebrations, weddings, weekend nights out, etc.). The current situation in this field is characterized by a high incidence of alcohol consumption, especially among young people. Risky drinking exceeds 14 SD (standard drinks) per week or more than 4 SD during specific situations for men, while for women it is more than 7 SD per week, or more than 2 SD during specific situations (Institute of Public Health of Serbia, 2008)
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