Work

Stress Allostasis in Substance Use Disorders: Promise, Progress, and Emerging Priorities in Clinical Research

Year: 2020

Type: review

Abstract: Clinicians and researchers alike have long believed that stressors play a pivotal etiologic role in risk, maintenance, and/or relapse of alcohol and other substance use disorders (SUDs). Numerous seminal and contemporary theories on SUD etiology posit that stressors may motivate drug use and that individuals who use drugs chronically may display altered responses to stressors. We use foundational basic stress biology research as a lens through which to evaluate critically the available evidence to support these key stress-SUD theses in humans. Additionally, we examine the field's success to date in targeting stressors and stress allostasis in treatments for SUDs. We conclude with our recommendations for how best to advance our understanding of the relationship between stressors and drug use, and we discuss clinical implications for treatment development.

Source: Annual Review of Clinical Psychology

DOI: 10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-102419-125016

Authors: Gaylen E. Fronk, Sarah J. Sant'Ana, Jesse T. Kaye, John J. Curtin

Institutions: University of Wisconsin–Madison, William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital

Language: English

Topic: Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes

Subfield: Epidemiology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism