social causation hypothesis explanation for schizophrenia Flashcards
social adversity - P1, A01
- the social causation view is that the human world acts as a major cause of schziophrenia or causes a relapse in patients who have already being diagnosed
- this explanation acknowledges biological factors but thinks they are not a sufficient explanation and unpacks the risk factors such as childhood trauma which contribute to the cause of schizophrenia
- when children grow up in poorer and less favourable backgrounds it makes them more vulnerable to the disorder and less likely to be able to access treatment which will subsequently reduce the chances of prognosis
strength of social adversity - P1, A03
one strength of the social causation hypothesis is that it can help to deal with schizophrenia by drawing attention to factors which affect mental health at the commuity level
housing projects which reduce overcrowding and encourage neighbourhood cohesion and celebrate cultural diversit should foster the courage, fortitude and resilliance which will hep communities arm themselves against mental breakdown
therefore, this is a critical step in developing a sense of collective social responsibility for, not only our own mental well-being but also that of other people
urbanicity - P2, A01
many researchers have commented on the association between urban living and schizophrenia
for example, William Eaton (1974) suggested that city life is more stressful than rural life and long-term exposure to such stress may trigger an episode of schizophrenia
there are many stressors linked to city life including noise, light pollution, criminalty, faster pasce amd greater anonymity
collectively these factors may make a person more vulnerable to schizophrenia
strength of urbanicity - P2, A03
one strength of the social causation hypothesis is research showing a significant correlation between urban dwelling and schizophrenia
Vassos et al (2012) performed a meta-analysis of data from four studies conducted in Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark, including nearly 24,000 cases of schizophrenia
they correlated location (urban to rural) with schizophrenia risk and found a link
at the extremes, they found that the risk was 2.37 times higher for people living in the most urban environments compared with the most rural environments
therefore, this shows that relativ risk of schizophrenia increases in line with population density and living in urban areas
COUNTER ARGUMENT TO strength of urbanicity - P2, A03
however, one problem is that such data is correlational, so it is not possible to say that schizophrenia is caused by urbanicity or adversity
in fact, the reverse could be true - the social drift hypothesis suggests that people with schizophrenia find it hard to hold down a job, leading them to ‘drift’ into a lower social class than their parents and siblings
this can lead to them migrating into deprived inner-city areas
therefore, this could suggest that schizophrenia leads to urbanicitiy rather than vice versa
social isolation - P3, A01
Robert Faris (1934) has suggested that people with schizophrenia withdraw because they feel that contact with others is stressful
such self-imposed isolation cuts the individual off from feedback about what behaviours or thoughts are innapropriate and, in the absense of corrective feedback, they begin behaving strangely
strength of social isolation - P3, A03
one strength of the social causation hypothesis as an explanation for schizophrenia is study evidence from Pinto
Pinto looked at a literature review looking at specific risk factors for Black Caribbeans in the UK
these risk factors included most of the black caribbeans living in inner city areas having a higher rate of parental seperation
if the individuals lived in a predominantly white neighbourhoods. they have a higher incidence rate of schizophrenia which could be due to social isolation and migrants whos skin colour is substantially darker than the ‘native’ population are more vulnrable to schizophrenia may be due to racism
therefore, this suggests that social isolation can lead to a higher chance of developing schizophrenia as they are isolated and feel disciminated so find social contact stressful
immigration and minority status - P4, A01
research has shown that first and second-generation immigrants are at greater risk of schizophrenia than the general population
however, this risk decreases as the number of people from the same ethnic background increases
this indicates that it is minority or outgroup status that is the key, as opposed to belonging to any particular ethnic group
the implications is that marginalisation of outgroups may leave people vulnerable to schziophrenia
Veling (2008) suggests that schizophrenia may be a reaction towards the chronic experience of prejudice and discrimination
weakness of immigration and minority status - P4, A03
one weakness of the social causation hypothesis as an explantion for schizophrenia is study evidence from Pinto
Pinto found that South Asians who have experienced migration do not have higher rates of schizophrenia diagnosis than white people in the UK which could be due to strong social cohesion
therefore, this weakens the suggestion that immigration causes individuals to have a greater risk of having schizophrenia
COUNTER ARGUMENT TO weakness of immigration and minority status - P4, A03
however, there is a weakness with this explanation because the social drift hypothesis queries the cause and effect of urbanicity and schizophrenia
this suggests that schizophrenia leads to urbanicity and not the other way around
weakness of social causation hypothesis explanation for schizophrenia - P5, A03
one weakness of the social causation view is that it is not a complete explanation of schizophrenia
we know that there is some genetic contribution to the development of schizophrenia from Gottesman and Shield;s study on MZ and DZ twins
it was found that MZ twins hwo share 100% of DNA showed a concordance rate of 46% compared to DZ twins who shared 50% of their DNA who showed a concordance rate of 17%
therefore, this suggests that the role of environmental factors may only trigger the onset of schizophrenia in people who are genetically predisposed to the condition
strength of social causation hypothesis explanation for schizophrenia - P6, A03
one strength of Veiling’s suggestion that schizophrenia may be a reaction towards the chronic experience of prejudice and discrimination is that there is evidence from a complex analysis of self-reported questionairre data from Veiling
the study found that people classed as marginalised (weak national identity and ethnic identity) and assimilated (strong national identity but weak ethnic identity) were at greater risk of schizophrenia than people classed as integrated (strong national and ethnic identity or) seperated (weak national but strong ethnic identity)
therefore, this suggests that a strong ethnic identity (identifying with and embracing ethnic ‘differentness’) may be a protective factor against schizophrenia
