PHARM 3101 - Biological and Psychosocial Factors in Addictions

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2023

Everyone differs in their susceptibility to develop addiction. We respond differently to drugs of abuse, have different side-effects and develop problem behaviour at a different rate. This course explores the factors that can increase or decrease the chance that someone will develop addictive behaviour. We will explore the effects of individual substances and learn how the body adapts to continued drug use. Addiction is more than just using drugs often. The biological changes that happen with long-term drug use go far beyond the initial local adaptations in the brain. Understanding this is important to help people manage their long-term use. In this course, we will explore the biological basis of addictions, but also review environmental and psychological factors that are important contributors to the development of addiction. Behavioural addictions have a lot in common with substance addictions. We will explore these links and look at other new developments in the research on the biological basis of addiction.

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Course Details

Course Code	PHARM 3101
Course	Biological and Psychosocial Factors in Addictions
Coordinating Unit	Medical Sciences
Term	Semester 1
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 5 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Prerequisites	HLTH SC 2104
Assumed Knowledge	HLTH SC 2104
Assessment	Online quizzes, oral presentation and exam.

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Abdallah Salem

Dr Abdallah Salem
abdallah.salem@adelaide.edu.au

Dr Andrea Gordon
andrea.gordon@adelaide.edu.au

Lectures and workshops will be run by staff from the Disciplines of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, School of Psychology and external experts.

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .

The course is taught by academics from the 新浪彩票 Medical School and the School of Psychology primarily, with support from local and global experts.

Week	lecture	lecture
1	Biological and Psychosocial Factors	Biological and Psychosocial Factors
2	Individual differences in susceptibility to addiction: Psychosocial	Individual differences in susceptibility to addiction: Biological
3	Individual differences in susceptibility to addiction: Social experiences	Individual differences in susceptibility to addiction: Life span
4	The brain and brain signalling	How drugs affect the brain
5	Different drugs-different effects	Different drugs-different effects
6	Different drugs-different effects	Different drugs-different effects
7	Biological changes in addiction	Biological changes in addiction
8	Biological changes in addiction	Biological changes in addiction
9	Psychological processes in addiction	Psychological processes in addiction
10	Comorbid addiction and mental health	Comorbid addiction and mental health
11	Behavioural addictions	Behavioural addictions
12	Advances in research	Advances in research

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the effects of a range of drugs of abuse, including nicotine and alcohol

2. Demonstrate an understanding of adaptation in the body and brain that arise with continued drug use

3. Understand the processes that drive behavioural addictions

4. Analyse the factors that impact on the chance that someone will develop an addiction

5. Describe the psychological processes that affect continued drug use or problem gambling behaviour

6. Describe recent developments in our understanding of the biological basis of addiction and comorbidities

7. Discuss origins of addiction in a professional and culturally sensitive manner

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.	1-6
Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.	4
Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.	7
Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.	4,7
Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.	7
Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.	7

Learning Resources

Required Resources

Textbook: William Blows, The Biological Basis Of Mental Health, 3rd Edition, 2016, Routledge, ISBN: 9781138900615.
Also available as ebook (ISBN 9781315707167).

Recommended Resources

Nancy Petry (Editor) Behavioral Addictions: Dsm-5脗庐 and Beyond; 1st Edition, 2016, Oxford University Press, ISBN: 978-0199391547

Online Learning

Online resources will be used extensively to help with both bridging and extending students. We will offer interactive tools on drugs, case studies and perspectives from professionals. We will also use video or lecture material from local and international experts to provide a rich learning experience.

Learning & Teaching Modes

In this course we will use interactive lectures and online resources to provide the students with new material to increase their understanding of the topic. The workshops will be used to discuss the nuances in smaller groups such as looking at life trajectories and lived experiences and help them to discuss issues in a professional and culturally sensitive way. We feel it is important to help students understand the human angle, show the stories behind the people with addiction to help them understand life trajectories.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

The total weekly workload for this course is 12 hours per week with a contact time of 3-4 hours per week;
as a guide it is comprised of the following activities:
Lectures including preparation: 4 hours p.w.
Workshops including preparation: 3 hours p.w.
Study, test and exam revision; preparation group presentation: 5 hours p.w.

Learning Activities Summary

Week	lecture (2 lectures each week)	Workshop
1	Biological and Psychosocial factors in drug use and addiction	What is addiction?
2	Individual differences in susceptibility to addiction: Biological and Psychological	Individual differences
3	Individual differences in susceptibility to addiction: Social experiences and Life Span	Long impact of trauma
4	The brain and brain signalling	How drugs affect our brain and behaviour
5	Different drugs-different effects	Patterns of alcohol and drug use
6	Different drugs-different effects	Abuse liability of drugs
7	Biological changes in addiction	Biological changes with continued drug use
8	Biological changes in addiction	Biology of addiction
10	Psychological factors in addiction	Psychological processes
11	Having both addiction and mental health problems	Impact of comorbidity
12	Behavioural Addictions	Drug versus behavioural addictions
13	Advances in research	Group work

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Task Type	Weighting	Learning Outcome(s)
Online quizzes	Formative	0%	1 - 6
Online tests	Summative	30%	1 - 6
Workshop attendance and participation	Summative	15%	1 - 7
Presentation	Summative	10%	1 - 7
Exam	Summative	45%	1 - 6

Assessment Related Requirements

Students need to attend and be involved in at least 50% of the weekly workshops.

Assessment Detail

Online quizzes - students will have access to online quizzes to test their understanding of the topics.

Online tests - students will sit three online MCQ content tests to t

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