personality and mental health Flashcards
What is the diathesis-stress model, and how does it relate to personality and mental health?
The diathesis-stress model: mental illness results from an interaction between predisposing factors (diathesis) and environmental stressors. It suggests that individuals have inherent vulnerabilities (diathesis) to develop mental illness, and when these vulnerabilities interact with stressful events, it increases the risk of developing the illness.
Describe the different types of relationships between diathesis and risk levels according to Haslam (2007).
Relationships between diathesis and stress levels:
linear - proportional increase in risk with increasing diathesis
exponential - rate of risk accelerates as diathesis increases
step-change - initially increased diathesis levels do not increase risk until a certain point is reached, beyond which risk sharply rises.
What are some challenges in identifying personality diatheses for mental health issues?
May be several diatheses per disorder which all interact with stress differently
May be proactive factors which influence results
Some diatheses may be more or less sensitive to a stressor (congruent/incongurent stressors)
= the specific vulnerability hypothesis
Give some examples of diatheses for depression.
Female gender
Relative with depression
Death of a parent in childhood
Lack of social support
Personality traits like - high autonomy, self-criticism, pessimistic explanatory style
Give some examples of identified stressors for depression.
life events - divorce, physical illness
What is the specific vulnerability hypothesis and how does it contribute to the understanding of personality diatheses for depression?
The specific vulnerability hypothesis suggests that certain personality traits/diathesis increase the risk of depression when they align with corresponding stressors.
When stressors match an individual’s traits (diathesis), risk is higher; otherwise, it’s lower.
Specific vulnerability: explain how high autonomy is a personality diathesis for depression.
HIGH AUTONOMY
- Compulsive self-reliance, an aversion to being controlled or dependent on others
- Obsessive with achievement - Predicted Domain-Congruent Stressors (SVH) (i.e which stressors are the worst for this personality diathesis?) – events which indicate personal failure e.g poor exam performance, causes doubt of abilities and worth
Specific vulnerability: explain how self-critical personality is a personality diathesis for depression.
SELF-CRITCAL PERSONALITY
- Unreasonably high standards for self, punishing self-evaluation
- SVH predicted specific stressors – negative life events where they feel responsible e.g accidents or mistakes
Specific vulnerability: explain how high dependent personality is a personality diathesis for depression.
HIGH DEPENDENCY
- ‘anxious attachment’ – exaggerated need for others’ guidance, and approval and fears of separation and abandonment
- SVH predicted stressors – events related to interpersonal conflict, loss, rejection and separation e.g relationship breakdown, argument with a friend
Outline the explanations for mixed results for the SVH.
insufficient focus on protective factors
reliance on self-report
difficulties in categorising stressors accurately
(fixed this using an idiographic approach to measure an overall quantity of stress)
Outline Abela et al’s longitudinal study on the specific vulnerability hypothesis.
ppt: children with at least one parent associated with depression (diathesis)
method: took questionnaires which measured dependency and self-criticism, self-esteem and measures of stressful life events
results: no evidence that self-criticism acts as a diathesis, diathesis-stress effects apparent for dependency, but is buffered by protective effects of self-esteem
What is trait schizotypy?
Schizotypy refers to a personality diathesis for schizophrenia characterized by odd beliefs, behaviors, and experiences that fall short of meeting the criteria for a diagnosis. It is a personality diatheses for schizophrenia-related disorders.
what are endophenotypes?
Endophenotypes – when someone doesn’t have a diagnosable disorder but shows clusters of symptoms - seen in people with high schizotypy
Using Meehl’s model, outline how the diathesis-stress model links to schizotypy.
Meehl’s model proposes that the following diathesis:
DNA: Sz genes
CNS abnormalities: Schizotaxia
Personality diathesis: Schizotypy
combined with stressors can lead to schizophrenia, schizotypic disorders or endophenotypes
What evidence is there to support Meehl’s model of schizophrenia?
Kwapli et used Wisconson Schizotypy Scales - measures P schizotypy (perceptual distortions, magical thinking) and N shcizotypy (physical and social anhedonia)
People who scored highly in positive and negative shchizotypy traits were much more likely to develop schizophrenia related disorders
People who scored highly for P - associated with mood disorders and substance abuse.
Highly on N - schizoid traits and lower relationship closeness
Found that schizotypy might represent two diathesis – proposed that each type is differentially sensitive to stressors (SVH)
- High PS – more sensitive to stressors from a chaotic environment – schizophrenia spectrum disorders
- High NS – more sensitive to birth complication stressors (physical/biological issues) – schizophrenia spectrum disorders
