title: Moral decision-making in polysubstance dependent individuals.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Moral judgments depend on the integration of complex cognitive and emotional processes. Addiction is associated with core deficits in both cognitive and emotional processing, which may jointly lead to utilitarian biases in moral decision-making.
  
  
  METHODS
  We assessed 32 polysubstance dependent males and 32 non-drug using controls using a previously validated moral judgment task, including non-moral scenarios, and moral dilemmas that were either high in emotional salience ("personal scenarios") or low in emotional salience ("impersonal scenarios").
  
  
  RESULTS
  Polysubstance dependent individuals endorsed more utilitarian choices for personal dilemmas (e.g., smothering a baby to save a group of hidden people during wartime). These choices were also perceived as less difficult. Severity of alcohol use correlated with the proportion of utilitarian judgments.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Polysubstance dependent individuals show a more utilitarian pattern of moral decision-making for personal moral scenarios.
authors: Department of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment, School of Psychology, University of Granada, Campus de Cartuja, s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain.
authors: Martina
authors: M
authors: Carmona-Perera
authors: Antonio
authors: A
authors: Verdejo-García
authors: Liane
authors: L
authors: Young
authors: Antonio
authors: A
authors: Molina-Fernández
authors: Miguel
authors: M
authors: Pérez-García
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D003657:Decision Making / Q000187:drug effects*; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D007600:Judgment / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009014:Morals; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine