Schizo - Social - Sociocultural Factors Flashcards
What is unique about this approach?
This explanation focusses heavily on the role of society and culture on schizophrenia.
This explanation is not used to solely explain schizophrenia, it is said to interact with genetic vulnerabilities to form a complete explanation.
This explanation gives three factors of how society and culture effect the development of schizophrenia. These are, Urbanicity, social isolation and ethnicity and discrimination.
Describe the factorm of Urbanicity
Humans have lived a rural lifestyle for most of history, we depended on agriculture and hunting for survival, in 1800 only 3% of the population lived in urban areas, while in 2008 it was a 50/50 split globally, with developed nations having a 74% urban population.
It is expected in 2050 that over 70% of the world’s population will be living in an urban area due to the mass urbanisation of developing areas such as India.
It is thought this is linked to schizophrenia as humans did not evolve to live in densely population urban areas, and this move towards urban living could be causing some of the mental illnesses we observe and experience.
What studies support the aspect of Urbanisation on causing schizophrenia?
Key Study: Faris and Dunham – study comparing schizophrenia rates in Chicago with the inner-city areas compared to the less-populated outskirts, found that there was a much greater incidence of the disorder in the inner-city areas
The reason for this higher rate of schizophrenia in urban areas is likely to be due to the specific environmental features of urban life. Krabbendam and van Os (2005) identified 3 main contributing factors:
Poverty: high levels of poverty in certain parts of urban areas, which could often result in high levels of expressed emotion (stress) in a household.
Substance abuse: this is far more common in urban areas. Research has found cannabis use doubles the risk of schizophrenia.
Stress: caused by living in an overcrowded area
Why are schizophrenics socially isolated?r
Schizophrenics are often very socially isolated from others due to their often-unconventional behaviour, this can cause them to have few friends, be estranged from their family and are more likely to live alone.
This social-isolation can also be self-imposed – Faris suggested that schizophrenics may find interaction with others stressful and confusing leading them to voluntarily withdraw from society.
Why does this social isolation cause schizophrenia
This social isolation explains schizophrenia as it cuts the individual off from the typical feedback from what behaviours and thoughts are appropriate that we receive from our friends and family, in the absence of corrective feedback, their symptoms worsen as they have no one to correct / check their behaviour.
This lack of corrective feedback allows that individual to nurture these inappropriate ways of thinking and behaving into their normal behaviour, and so the strange behaviour can flourish unchecked.
This can both cause them to become even more isolated due to these abnormal behaviours deterring friends, and or cause them to develop delusional thoughts that would otherwise be challenged by friends and family. – The lack of a social network causes these deluded thoughts to flourish and become rigid in their mind as the truth so much that even opposing evidence does not change their thoughts.
Key Study: Jones et al: Longitudinal study of over 5000 children, of the participants, 30 were diagnosed with schizophrenia, found that those 30 who were diagnosed were likely to show solitary play preferences at 4-6 years old
How does Ethnicity and Discrimination cause schizophrenia
Statistics show that schizophrenia is far more prevalent in immigrants, particularly individuals as Caribbean decent, than non-immigrants (of the same ethnicity).
This means the either additional stress induced by migration to an entirely different culture or these individuals’ experiencing racism and discrimination, is contributing towards individuals developing schizophrenia.
What research evidence supports Ethnicity and Discrimination causing schizophrenia
Key Study: Boydell et al (2001) study found that there were more cases of schizophrenia amongst migrant groups when they formed a small proportion of the local community.
We can assume, in these cases that the isolation, discrimination and racism experienced by these groups would be higher than in areas where there were many more ethnic minorities.
This suggests that sociocultural factors contributed to development of the illness.
What is one strength of the sociocultural Factors explanation?
Strength: Supporting Evidence – Boydell et al found that there were more cases of schizophrenia amongst migrant groups where they formed a small proportion of the local community, which would likely increase the isolation and discrimination experienced by these individuals suggesting that sociocultural factors contributed to the development of schizophrenia.
What is another strength of the sociocultural Factors explanation?
Strength: Application – If we know social isolation can cause schizophrenia, we can use this to prevent it in the form of Psychosocial therapy, this is a therapy that helps individuals learn to help be a part of a community, it provides social skills training and reduce social isolation as well as rehabilitate their life with job counselling, money management and education.
What is one weakness of the sociocultural Factors explanation?
Weakness: Lack of cause and effect – Do people become schizophrenic because of the urban environment (social causation hypothesis) or do schizophrenics just prefer the urban environment? There is evidence of a social drift hypothesis that once an individual is diagnosed with schizophrenia, they find it difficult to maintain employment so move to urban areas where they can more easily find it.
Additionally with immigrants – are they discriminated against because of their schizophrenia or are they schizophrenic because of the discrimination?
What is another weakness of the sociocultural Factors explanation?
Weakness: Potential Bias – Opposing evidence from Harrison et al found that even higher rates of schizophrenia are found the children of migrants than first generation migrants. This takes the factor of adapting to a new culture out of the equation and would instead suggest some sort of genetic element to schizophrenia that is perhaps activated by their parents migrating.
