Psychological Explanations: Stressful Life Events Flashcards
How is stress measured?
Holmes and Rahe’s Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS), measure of change: Life Change Units (LCU)
What are the 2 main mechanisms that have been proposed for how stressful events impact schizophrenics?
via HPA (hypothalamic, pituitary, adrenal) axis or the dopamine system
How do stressful life events impact schizophrenics via the HPA axis?
cortisol dysregulation: higher in schizophrenics than in not, correlation between cortisol level at time 1 of schizophrenia and severity of symptoms at time 2
What kind of research has been conducted to prove a link between stressful events and schizophrenia? What methodological issues are still present?
Western and cross cultural analyses. Correlational (cant do
What kind of research has been conducted to prove a link between stressful events and schizophrenia? What methodological issues are still present?
Western and cross cultural analyses. Correlational (cant do experiments on peoples lives to prove causality), stress is subjective, hard to representative sample: attrition and not wanting to do it, more daily hassles?
What a did a review find about life stressors and schizophrenia?
Norman and Malla 1993: severity of symptoms over time was correlated with life events, seems events act as stressors for people predisposed to schizophrenia
Who conducted research into the number of life events of schizophrenic patients compared to the general population?
Horan 2005: patient sample have lower have lower levels of events than the gen pop, suggests not number of events but how well patients copes with them
Who provides support for Horan’s 2005 finding?
Day 1987: cross national, hgiher rates of stressful life events in 2-3 weeks before onset of schizophrenia
Who conducted prospective research into stressful life events and schizophrenia?
Ventura 1989: 11 patients who met criteria for psychotic relapse and 19 patients who didn’t were interviewed monthly on life events, relapsing patients: higher number of independent life events occurred in month before relapse
