Schizophrenia: One non-biological explanation

Question 1

What is the social causation hypothesis?

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Answer 1

• Human world (people around you) acts as cause for schizo

Question 2

Types of human needs? (social adversity)

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Answer 2

• Physical (nutrition, warmth, shelter)

- Intellectual (emotional/social)

Question 3

How may social adversity cause schizophrenia?

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Answer 3

• Families affected by unemployment, poverty = exposed to ^stress
• Low socioeconomic groups = can’t access treatment for schizo (more vulnerable)

Question 4

What did Eaton mention? (urbanicity)

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Answer 4

• City life = ^stressful than rural life, LT exposure to stress may trigger schizo

Question 5

How may urbanicity cause schizophrenia?

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Answer 5

• City stressors = noise, criminality, faster pace

- ^Pop dense = ^competitive, ^chronic social defeat

Question 6

What is social defeat hypothesis? (urbanicity)

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Answer 6

• Person is exposed to hostile confrontations from another (bullying) = exclusion of majority group, ^stress

Question 7

What did Faris suggest? (social isolation)

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Answer 7

• Schizo’s withdraw as find contact w others stressful
• Self imposed isolation cuts person off from feedback about what behaviours are inappropriate
• Leading to behaving strangely

Question 8

What did Boydell et al. find? (immigration and minority status)
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Answer 8

• 1st&2nd gen immigrants ^prone to schizo than pop

- Risk is less as nb of people from same ethnic background^

Question 9

Why are 2nd generation immigrants at greater risk than 1st generation immigrants? (immigration/minority status)
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Answer 9

• Weaker ethnic/cultural identity
• Learned (more than parents) to fit in w norms of indigenous society
• Learned expectations against their parents?
• Creates stress

Question 10

Evaluate social causation hypothesis

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Answer 10

Vassos et al. metanalysis, correlated loco (urban-rural) w schizo risk. 2.37x^ risk for those in urban. Correlational. Social drift hypothesis = schizo’s find hard to hold job, drift to lower class (migrate to deprived areas). Schizo causes urbanicity

Tienari et al. studied adopted children who’s bio mothers had schizo. No children adopted into healthy families got schizo, only appeared when environment sig disturbed

Lederbogen et al. used fMRi, see link between growing up in urban envir/later sensitivity to social stress. Ppt solved math problems, -feedback. Urban ppt = ^activity in amygdala/anterior cingulate cortex (regulate emotion, stress responses)