Family Dysfunction

Question 1

What three factors show family dysfunction?

Answer 1

Stress
Maladaptive relationships
Poor communication

Question 2

What are 3 common features of parents of schizophrenics?

Answer 2

Excessive criticism
Controlling
Difficulty communicating

Question 3

What are the three theory’s that refer to family dysfunction as a reason of schizophrenia?

Answer 3

The schizophrenogenic mother
Double bind theory
Expressed emotion

Question 4

Define schizophrenogenic mother

Answer 4

Parenting style is cold and rejecting = tense environment

This could lead to distrust and paranoid delusions.

Question 5

Define double bind theory

Answer 5

Fear of doing something wrong due to mixed messages being portrayed.

If something is wrong they are punished through withdrawal of love.

Leads to disorganised thinking and paranoid delusions.

Question 6

Define expressed emotion

Answer 6

Over involving parents leads to negative emotion of the patient.

E.G verbal criticism, violence, anger and rejection.

This could be a cause of relapse.

Question 7

Explain what Tiernan et al found when researching into family dysfunction

Answer 7

Schizophrenia in adopted individuals was 5.8% whereas it was 36.8% for those in dysfunctional families.
Concluding that those with genetic vulnerabilities are more affected Ben environmental stressors

Question 8

Explain what Holley et al researched in relation to family dysfunction

Answer 8

Meta-analysis of 26 studies

Schizophrenics that return to a family environment with high expressed emotion have twice the average rate of relapse

Question 9

Explain what Bateson found when researching into family dysfunction

Answer 9

Reported a case of a patient who was met with tension by their mother (double-bind theory)