predispositional

Predispositional is an adjective used in scientific and scholarly writing to describe phenomena related to predisposition—a predisposed likelihood or susceptibility to a particular trait, condition, or outcome. Objects described as predispositional are not certain causes; they indicate a higher probability conditioned by genetic, environmental, developmental, or behavioral factors.

Etymology: The term is formed from predispose plus the adjectival suffix -al. Predispose itself comes from Latin prae- "before" and disponere "to place before" (to predispose), indicating something arranged beforehand.

Contexts: In medicine and psychiatry, predispositional factors refer to inherited or early-life influences that increase risk for disorders. In genetics, a predispositional variant might raise susceptibility without guaranteeing disease. In epidemiology, predispositional risk is distinguished from precipitating or enabling factors.

Examples: A person may have a predispositional risk for type 2 diabetes due to family history and lifestyle; predispositional anxiety refers to temperamental traits that increase vulnerability to anxiety disorders.

See also: predisposition; susceptibility; liability; risk factor; gene-environment interaction.