Addiction as a choice disorder in adolescents

Substance use disorders, and addictive behaviours in general, are one of the most prevalent problems among young people and adolescents. It is also a phenomenon associated with very serious social, health and economic consequences. The medical model and, more recently, the biopsychosocial model have been the most widespread approaches to explain this type of behaviour. However, in recent years complementary and/or alternative models have emerged from the framework of the behavioral economy. This conference will present the principles and methods that, coming from economics and operating theories of behavior, explain the addition to substances and behavioral addictions as a disorder of choice, or also as a pathology of reinforcement. The empirical evidences that support this model in the adolescent population will be analyzed and, finally, the preventive and therapeutic interventions that derive from this analysis of the problems associated with addictive behaviors in adolescence will be exposed.

Roberto Secades Villa is Professor of the Department of Psychology of the University of Oviedo and coordinator of the Group of Addictive Behaviours of this University. Currently, he also holds the positions of Director of the Department of Psychology of the University of Oviedo and Secretary of the Governing Board of the Official College of Psychologists of the Principado de Asturias. His clinical, teaching and research trajectory has developed preferably in the field of addictive behaviours. He has published more than 150 articles in national and international journals, in addition to numerous books and chapters, focusing on epidemiology, prevention and treatment of addictive behaviours, both in adults and adolescents.