Using the Syndrome Model of Addiction: a Preliminary Consideration of Psychological States and Traits

This article describes a collaborative research project between the Division on Addiction, Cambridge Health Alliance, a Harvard Medical School Teaching Hospital, and the Integrated Centre on Addiction Prevention and Treatment (ICAPT) of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (TWGHs) in Hong Kong. The goal of this research is to better understand the syndrome model of addiction by establishing an epidemiology of addiction treatment seekers across various expressions of addiction (e.g., alcohol and other psychoactive drugs, gambling, sexual behaviors, online gaming). This paper presents initial findings about the demographic and psychological characteristics of three groups of treatment seekers in TWGHs in Hong Kong: (1) a group seeking treatment for chemical expressions of addiction ( n = 35); (2) a group seeking treatment for behavioral expressions of addiction ( n = 125); and (3) a comparison group seeking services ( n = 18) unrelated to addiction. The initial findings identified various common psychological vulnerabilities (i.e., trait anxiety, state anxiety, depression, using emotional support and venting as psychological coping, higher levels of attentional impulsiveness) shared among both the behavioral expression and chemical expression groups, and possible unique psychological characteristics associated with each expression of addiction (e.g., coping mechanisms). These findings provide support for conceptualizing addiction as a syndrome.