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Updated: Aug 12, 2026

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Assessing Changes in Volatile General Anesthetic Sensitivity of Mice after Local or Systemic Pharmacological Intervention
Published on: October 16, 2013
Summary
Nurse anesthetists may be predisposed to substance abuse due to higher levels of excitement seeking. This study found anesthesia students scored higher on excitement seeking and addictive tendency measures compared to general nursing students.
Area of Science:
- Nursing
- Psychology
- Addiction Medicine
Background:
- Substance abuse is a known issue in healthcare, but under-documented among nurse anesthetists.
- Physician anesthesiologists show higher rates of treatment seeking for substance use disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate personality factors and addictive tendencies in nurse anesthetists.
- To explore potential predispositions to substance abuse in this population.
Main Methods:
- Comparative study of graduate nursing students: anesthesia specialists (n=81) vs. general nursing (n=69).
- Utilized NEO Personality Inventory for personality facets (impulsiveness, assertiveness, excitement seeking).
- Employed MacAndrew Scale (MMPI) to assess addictive tendencies.
Main Results:
- Anesthesia students had higher mean scores for excitement seeking.
- A significantly greater percentage of anesthesia students scored positive for addictive tendencies (22.2% vs. 5.9%).
- Positive addictive tendency scores correlated with higher excitement seeking scores.
Conclusions:
- Higher excitement seeking may predispose nurse anesthetists to addictive disorders.
- Further research is warranted to confirm these findings and inform prevention strategies.
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