Interactionist Approach

Question 1

AO1

Answer 1

Verdoux et al: aimed explore factors that effect the causes of Sz and found biological factors such as obstetric complications at birth caused 4 times the likelihood of developing Sz. Research suggest interactionist approach lacks validity as DSM does not account for neurological abnormalities caused by the environment. Therefore suggests interactionist explanation unable to be used to explain Sz

Question 2

Weakness, opposing evidence for DSM

Answer 2

E- Verdoux et al: aimed explore factors that effect the causes of sz and found biological factors such as obstetric complications at birth caused 4 times the likelihood of developing sz.
E- Research suggest interactionist approach lacks validity as DSM does not account for neurological abnormalities caused by the environment.
L-Therefore suggests interactionist explanation unable to be used to explain sz

Question 3

Limitation

Answer 3

P- urban environments not necessarily more stressful
E- Roman-Clarkson et al: aimed to investigate differences in environments as a stressor to sz, found no urban-rural difference in mental health.
E- suggests there is only a relationship between social adversity e.g. poverty, race, and the onset of sz.
L- therefore cannot establish a cause and effect between the environment and sz, decreasing the validity of the interactionist approach.
CA: however, study only looked at women meaning it lacks generalisability to men so this OE is not completely valid.

Question 4

Application

Answer 4

P- strength is the application of treatment prenatally to prevent the development of sz.
E- Borglum et al: studied pregnant women infected with cytomegalovirus and found they were more likely to have a child who developed sz if they carried this virus during pregnancy.
E- suggests antiviral medicine during pregnancy may prevent the onset of sz.
L- therefore a strength of the interactionist approach bc supports diathesis stress model by acknowledging role of biological factors (prenatal deficits) + environment factors (stressors during pregnancy) in the development of sz and how treatment can prevent this.
CA: this treatment was only effective if both the woman and the baby carried a particular gene deficit, so treatment not generalisable to everyone with this virus.

Question 5

SE, Tienari

Answer 5

Supports DSM
Tested that genetic vulnerability paired with environmental risks (from adoptive family functioning) increases likelihood of developing sz.
Found:
-Those in ‘healthy adoptive families’ had a protective effect and didn’t develop sz
-High risk adoptees in unhealthy adopted families e.g. those exposed to families with high expressed emotion etc were significantly more likely to develop sz.
Supports interactionist approach and DSM bc genetically vulnerable children who were exposed to stressful environments developed sz.