Social Evaluation - Sociocultural Factors

Question 1

Evaluate urbanicity…

Answer 1

Cannot be sure that urban living increases social stress as urban areas tend to have better general health and increased social capital, enabling people to function effectively

Kwame Mckenzie et al (2002) stated that higher levels of social capital may actually protect us from social stress, making it unclear how the mechanism that underlies urbanicity seems to work

Question 2

Evaluate whether urbanicity or schizophrenia comes first…

Answer 2

Social drift hypothesis states that those diagnosed with a mental disorder demonstrate a decline in socioeconomic status, and tend to move into the inner city

Cartson Pederson and Preben Mortensen (2001) found that individuals who had a high risk of psychotic disorder reduced the likelihood of developing schizophrenia through moving to rural areas, suggesting a clear link

Question 3

Evaluate whether social isolation is a cause or effect…

Answer 3

Jim Van Os et al (2000) found that people that lived in neighbourhoods with single people had a higher risk of developing schizophrenia due to increased isolation and loneliness

Suggests that social isolation as a valid explanation, but we cannot ascertain whether social isolation is a cause or just an early indicator

Jonest et al stated that until we are able to implement intervention strategies, we won’t be able to ascertain social isolation as a cause

Question 4

Evaluate the role of ethnicity or discrimination…

Answer 4

Some believe that ethnic minorities may appear to suspicious and mistrustful of psychiatrists due to previous encounters with authority figures

Jane Boydell et al (2001) found that incidence rates of schizophrenia increased in ethnic minorities as diversity in an area fell, suggesting that social experience contributes to the development of the illness

Unlikely we will be able to assess the impact of ethnicity and discrimination until society is free of prejudice and bigotry