5.1.3 Sz- Social exp (Soc causation hypothesis)

Question 1

Describe what the social causation hypothesis states about the cause of schizophrenia.

Answer 1

That it is caused through the relationship of urban living and only acts as a trigger for symptoms instead of a direct cause.

Question 2

State 4 potential factors that may affect development of Sz

Answer 2

1) Social adversity
2) Urbanicity
3)Social Isolation
4) Immigration and minority status

Question 3

What is the baseline measure for risk of schizophrenia?

Answer 3

In a rural environment, which is given a value of 1.

Question 4

What does going above/below the baseline measure involve + implications for risk of Sz?

Answer 4

Any other environment that has a value higher than 1 increases risk of developing schizophrenia whilst having anything lower than 1 lowers risk.

Question 5

Describe social isolation as a factor of developing Sz

Answer 5

• People who are in lower socio-economic groups have higher incidences of schizophrenia
• 4/1000 developing the mental disorder which is higher than the general 1% of the population
• This could be due to receiving different standards of health care or having poorer living conditions increasing stress

Question 6

Name a piece of research that supports the idea of social isolation playing a role in developing schizophrenia.

Answer 6

P - Cooper (2005) supports social class as a factor
E - He found that the rate of schizophrenia in unskilled labour workers was 4.1x higher than higher managerial workers
E - This therefore supports the idea that coming from a lower class increases risk of developing schizophrenia

Question 7

Describe social adversity as a factor of developing schizophrenia.

Answer 7

-Social adversity during childhood is linked to an increased risk of developing schizophrenia
- This is especially true in cases of children who come from a lower socio-economic background whereby pressures of life are more intense and immediate
- This could be due to stress from the adversity triggering disorder

Question 8

Name a piece of research that supports the idea of social adversity playing a role in developing schizophrenia.

Answer 8

P - Hjem et al (2004) supports social adversity as a factor
E - He found that social adversity in childhood relates to the development of schizophrenia later in life
E - Therefore demonstrating that social adversity could be a factor leading to development of schizophrenia

Question 9

Describe the immigrant population as a factor of developing schizophrenia.

Answer 9

Higher incidences of schizophrenia have been found in African-Caribbeans and black immigrants & 2nd Gen immigrants
- This is due to these minorities being more disadvantaged in education, workplace which can lead to unemployment or poor living conditions, outgroup status, weaker cultural identity, exposure to prejudice
- BUT risk of Sz decr as the number of ppl from same ethnic group incr- more community & better networking may mean more understaning of symptoms in community and incr likelihood of sufferer seeking help

Question 10

Name a piece of research that supports the idea of the immigrant population playing a role in developing schizophrenia.

Answer 10

P - Fearon et al (2004) supports the immigrant population as a factor
E - Found that there are 4x more incidences of schizophrenia in black immigrants than in the white population
E - Therefore demonstrating that the immigrant population are more at risk of developing schizophrenia

Question 11

Describe the urbanicity as a factor of developing schizophrenia

Answer 11

City life is deemed more stressful than rural life eg.light pollution, crime rates, noise, faster pace, greater anonymity- lack of connection

Question 12

Name a piece of research that supports the idea of urbanicity playing a role in developing schizophrenia.

Answer 12

P- Pederson and Mortensons (2001) supports
E- Correlational study using 2ndary data. Graphs showed relative risk of Sz in diff types of envir. Baseline measure is risk of Sz in a rural envir, given as 1. For other envirs eg capital city, had highest risk of 2.3/4 out of 0 to 2.5 baseline scale.
E- Supports urbanicity as a factor of Sz development

Question 13

EACH- Evidence

Answer 13

1. P - Kirkbride (2007) supports the social causation hypothesis
   E - Found in a study in London that deprivation, population density, and inequality were 3 factors that increase risk of schizophrenia by 4% compared to places where those factors weren’t so prevalent
   E - Therefore supporting the idea that stress from the environment that may lead to schizophrenia
2. P - Veling et al (2008) supports the immigrant population as a factor for developing schizophrenia
   E - He found more incidences of schizophrenia in people living where their ethnic group is a minority compared with places where it was not
   E - Therefore supporting the hypothesis that ethnic minorities having less opportunities can cause schizophrenia

Question 14

EACH- Evidence rejecting

Answer 14

P - Kirkbride (2012) rejects the immigrant population as a factor contributing to development of schizophrenia
E - Found that rates of schizophrenia were lower for Afro-Caribbeans when they lived in ethnically-integrated neighbourhoods
E - This shows that it’s not just all ethnic minorities that are at higher risk of developing the disorder

Question 15

EACH- How good?

Answer 15

P - Evidence from research is not valid
E - Due to being difficult to determine whether social factors actually cause schizophrenia or whether they are in fact a result of the disorder
E - This therefore lacks validity as data is only correlational
P - Hjem et al (2000) carried out his experiment in Sweden
E - There is easier access and higher quantities of medical records and patient history in this country
E - This therefore makes findings and data more reliable due to consistency of finding what is needed for the study