Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats
Published on: March 17, 2019
Risky decision making in substance dependent adolescents with a disruptive behavior disorder
Dennis J L G Schutter1, Irene van Bokhoven, Louk J M J Vanderschuren
1Department of Experimental Psychology, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 2, 3584 CS, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Abstract:
Of all psychiatric disorders, the disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) are the most likely to predispose to substance dependence (SD). One possible underlying mechanism for this increased vulnerability is risky decision making. The aim of this study was to examine decision making in DBD adolescents with and without SD. Twenty-five DBD adolescents (19 males) with SD (DBD+SD), 28 DBD adolescents (23 males) without SD (DBD-SD) and 99 healthy controls (72 males) were included in the study. DBD adolescents with co-morbid attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were excluded. Risky decision making was investigated by assessing the number of disadvantageous choices in the Iowa gambling task. DBD+SD made significantly more risky choices than healthy controls and DBD-SD. Healthy controls and DBD-SD did not differ on risky decision making. These results suggest that risky decision making is a vulnerability factor for the development of SD in a subgroup of adolescents with DBD without ADHD.
Related Concept Videos
Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
Conduct Disorder
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Diagnostic Criteria and Symptoms
To diagnose ADHD, symptoms must manifest before age 12 and be evident across multiple settings.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Diagnostic Criteria and...
Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena
Operant Conditioning Intervention
In operant conditioning, behaviors that are...
