Age and impulsive behavior in drug addiction: A review of past research and future directions

Abstract

Impulsive behavior is implicated in the initiation, maintenance, and relapse of drug-seeking behaviors involved in drug addiction. Research shows that changes in impulsive behavior across the lifespan contribute to drug use and addiction. The goal of this review is to examine existing research on the relationship between impulsive behavior and drug use across the lifespan and to recommend directions for future research. Three domains of impulsive behavior are explored in this review: impulsive behavior-related personality traits, delay discounting, and prepotent response inhibition. First, we present previous research on these three domains of impulsive behavior and drug use across developmental stages. Then, we discuss how changes in impulsive behavior across the lifespan are implicated in the progression of drug use and addiction. Finally, we discuss the relatively limited attention given to middle-to-older adults in the current literature, consider the validity of the measures used to assess impulsive behavior in middle-to-older adulthood, and suggest recommendations for future research.

Keywords: Addiction; Delay discounting; Drug use; Impulsive behavior; Prepotent response inhibition; UPPS-P.

Figure 1

Mean age distribution of studies examining impulsive behavior and drug use/addiction in humans by impulsive behavior measure type. Figure 1 aggregated 231 studies identified as studies of impulsive behavior and drug use/addiction in four meta-analyses (i.e., Coskupinar et al. (2013); Cross, Copping & Campbell (2011); MacKillop et al. (2011); Smith et al. (2014)). Research studies were included when information about mean age, type of impulsive behavior measures, and type of drugs was available. The figure included studies once when they were reported by more than one meta-analysis, and the mean age by group when the studies reported mean ages separately for each group. Some of the studies are represented by multiple dots because of multi-method approach (e.g., behavioral task and self-report) or examination of various drug use behaviors (e.g., cigarette and alcohol use). The drug legend comprises group comparison studies (e.g., alcohol users vs. controls) and studies with drug use as continuous variables. UPPS-P includes any impulsive behavior self-report measures that fall under the UPPS-P framework (Coskupinar et al., 2013). PRI = Prepotent Response Inhibition