The Neuroscience of Addiction: Awareness and Understanding Among Adults

Addiction involves interacting biological, psychological and social processes. Neuroscience has contributed to its understanding by examining reward and motivation systems, neurotransmitters, learning, memory, behavioural control and neuroplasticity. This study examined adults? awareness of selected neuroscience concepts related to addiction and described their perceptions of the relevance of neuroscience to understanding, prevention, treatment and stigma. A cross-sectional descriptive design was used. Data were collected through a researcher-developed online questionnaire containing ten multiple-choice knowledge items, eight five-point perception statements and two open-ended questions. Of 103 submissions, four respondents who did not consent were excluded, leaving 99 responses for analysis. Knowledge scores ranged from 0 to 10 (M = 6.07, SD = 2.60; median = 6). Correct responses were most frequent for the reward system (67.7%) and dopamine (66.7%), while the amygdala item had the lowest correct-response rate (44.4%). Most respondents agreed or strongly agreed that neuroscience knowledge could contribute to prevention and treatment (74.7%) and might help reduce stigma (66.7%). Responses to the reverse-worded statement about personal choice and lack of willpower were mixed. Open-ended responses referred to brain changes, reward and motivation, the difficulty of stopping repeated behaviour, recovery, and the importance of psychological and social influences. These findings describe the participating volunteer sample and should not be generalised to all adults. The questionnaire was developed for this study and has not undergone formal psychometric validation.