Social Explanation - Schizophrenia - Sociocultural Factors

Question 1

Urbanacity

Answer 1

Krabbendam + Van Os, multiple factors in brain area leading to increase risk of schizo

Poverty - in urban areas can lead to high expressed emotions in parent leading to abuse. Bebbington et al sexual abuse increase risk of schizo 3x

Unwanted pregnancy due to increased interaction
Herman et al- unwanted pregnancy increase chance of schizo due to lack of care (no nutrient = brain not developed)

Drugs more available
Zammit et al - 40,000 Swedish male cannabis increase schizophrenia rate by 2x

Question 2

Social isolation

Answer 2

Lack of support can lead to worsening of schizo condition and make them more reluctant to treatment

Jones et al - longitudinal study on 30 shcizo cases
-at 4-6 prefer to play alone, 13 more likely to rate self as less socially confident. Suggest isolation start early

No social interaction or net work can foster negative thinking and strange behaviour can surface.
-most delusional thoughts of normal people are rid of since social network challenge and point out error in logics. (Thinking will fail exam)
-schizo with lack of communication allow these thoughts to cause them to believe in different ways or allow delusions to affect physical behaviour (negative symptoms)
-if not treated quickly, can believe delusions are logical and resistant to treatment

Question 3

Racism + discrimination

Answer 3

Cochrane + Sashidharan - Afro- Caribbean 7 times more likely to diagnose schzio than white in UK.

social defeat hypothesis - a unique type of stress experienced by immigrant if being rejected - can cause changes to the brain
-as well as asylum procedures, stress can be greater than the one that cause them to leave their community

Graae et al - meta analysis, migrants and children of migrants both increase risk of schzio, but children higher risk - more factors than migration

due to the foreign community they are in are the only home they knew. But they are getting less opportunities than other people of same community + appearance and name are different from other people they grow up with

Question 4

Social isolation - usefulness (strength)

Answer 4

Unlike other factors, (gene) this provide intervention to reduce schizophrenic symptoms without drugs.
-if it starts at early at 4 important for parent to watch out - Jones et al
-by interacting with schizo like normal people, help to reduce symptoms ethically + without side effects

Question 5

Urbanacity - causal relationships (weakness)

Answer 5

Faris + Dunham - more schizo in socially disorganised + poverty area

Is it, social causation hypothesis. Where urban city environment causes schizophrenia. Or social drifts hypothesis, where schizo end up living in poorer area, due to can’t manage job or finance well.

Does living in a city actually cause increase risk of schizophrenia
- in urban area, where communication is often, (work, school), symptoms is spotted faster than rural area - unnoticed.
-urban area, people more educated and point out conditions
-argue more people are diagnosed

Question 6

Racism + discrimination- biased (weakness)

Answer 6

Lewis - bias in psychiatrist or psychology

-psychiatrist who were asked for treatments + predict criminal record of afro- Caribbean more likely to suggest drug treatment and describe them as violent + criminal compare to white, despite symptom identical - stereotype
-suggesting diagnose is heavily nit valid

Question 7

Overall

Answer 7

Sociocultural factors does take into account multiple factors and an interactionist approach (suggest how environment lead to those at risk to develop schizo). However, changes to these environment is difficult as a large scale reform would be needed.