Interactionist Approaches Flashcards
What is the the interactionist approach to explaining and treating schizophrenia?
The diathesis-stress model.
What does the diathesis-stress model suggest?
The certain individuals have a genetic predisposition to the disorder, but they will only go onto develop it if they are exposed to a certain degree of stress.
Is the same amount stress required each time in the diathesis stress model?
As different individuals have different degrees of predisposition, different levels of stress will be required to trigger the disorder.
What indicates that social/environmental stressors must play a role and influence whether individuals with a predisposition actually do develop the disorder?
Identical twins who have 100% genetic similarity, concordance rates are less than 50% which indicates that social/environmental stressors must play a role and influence whether individuals with a predisposition actually do develop the disorder.
What is Diathesis stress model say?
Diathesis and stress together will cause an individual to be vulnerable to psychological disorders such as schizophrenia.
What is Diathesis?
Refers to a predisposition towards a given state or disorder.
What are examples of Diathesis?
- Genetic predisposition
- Neurological abnormalities
- Neurotransmiter abnormalities
What are examples of stress?
Stressful life events could vary from an abusive childhood to divorce to financial troubles or racism.
What evidence supports that stress causes schizophrenia?
Thus supporting diathesis stress model explanation
Varese ‘12 found that children who experienced extreme trauma before the age of 16 were x3 as likely to develop schizophrenia later in life compared to the general population, and there was a positive correlation between intensity of trauma and chances and developing schizophrenia.
Vassos 12 found that stresses of living in crowded urban environments increased risk for schizophrenia by x2.37. This could be due to stressors such as over-crowding, noise, poverty, crime.
What is the Tiernari 04 study that supports the diathesis-stress explanation?
Tienari compared 145 children adopted away from schizophrenic mothers to 158 children adopted from non-schizophrenic mothers.
Both groups were assessed aged 12 and 21 and fall families were assessed for how well-functioning they were.
Overall 14 children went on to develop schizophrenia, 11 from the high risk group from schizophrenic mothers, 3 from the low risk group of non-schizophrenic mothers.
Being adopted into a well functioning family appeared to have a protective effect on those from the high risk group, they were significantly less likely to develop schizophrenia than high risk children adopted in poorly functioning families.
What is a problem with the diathesis-stress model?
It often assumes that stressors directly lead to schizophrenic breakdown. However, stressors and experiences in early life could affect individuals’ ability to cope with stress. Therefore, individuals with poor stress coping mechanisms are genetically predisposed to schizophrenia could be at more risk of being unable to cope with stress and thus have schizophrenia triggered. Therefore, we should add ‘individuals’ stress-coping ability’ into the equation of the diathesis stress model.
Other factors apart from genetic predisposition have shown to influence chances of developing schizophrenia. Verdoux ‘98 found that birth complications which cause oxygen starvation cause a x4 increase in vulnerability to schizophrenia.
