Interactionist Approach

Question 1

What is the interactionist approach?

Answer 1

The idea that schizophrenia results from a combination of psychological, biological and social factors.

Question 2

What is the diathesis-stress model?

Answer 2

Explains mental disorders as the result of an interaction between biological (diathesis) & environmental (stress) influences.

Question 3

What evidence is there for diathesis?

Answer 3

• Twin studies show greater concordance for MZ twins suggesting a genetic link
• Genetic factors could be linked to faulty
  dopaminergic systems
• But genes alone don’t cause disorder (never 100% concordance in any study)
• Instead they increase likelihood that environmental stressors can trigger schizophrenic episode

Question 4

What evidence is there for stressors?

Answer 4

• Childhood trauma - children who experienced severe trauma 3x more likely
  to develop schizophrenia as adults
• Family dysfunction - expressed emotion

Question 5

Describe Tienari’s Study (2004).

Answer 5

• Looked at hospital records for 20,000 women admitted with SZ to Finnish hospitals between 1960 & 1979.
• 145 women had children adopted away - these children were compared
  with matched adoptees without genetic link.
• Found that 14 adoptees developed SZ, 11 of which were from high risk group.
• Being reared in ‘healthy’ adoptive family had protective effect even for high risk children
• Adoptive family stress was significant predictor of SZ in high genetic risk children.

Question 6

What is the interactionist approach to treating schizophrenia?

Answer 6

• Research indicates combination treatments are most effective
• Which particular combination is dependent on individual’s circumstances
• Judging effectiveness of any treatment is dependent upon number of factors - cost, relapse rates, degree of side effects, symptom reduction