sz non-bio exp Flashcards

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1
Q

what is the non-biological explanation of schizophrenia?

A

social causation hypothesis

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2
Q

what does the social causation hypothesis suggest?

A

The human world we live in acts as a major risk factor for SZ and may cause relapse in those who have it

Risk factors cause stress

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3
Q

what are the risk factors in social causation hypothesis?

A
  • Social adversity
  • Urbanicity
  • Social isolation
  • Immigration and minority status
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4
Q

what is social adversity?

A

means a person’s physical, intellectual, emotional and social needs are not met

includes unstable employment, poverty, poor living standards and poor nutrition

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5
Q

social adversity in regards to socioecnomic status

A

people from lower socioeconomic groups may not be able to access treatment for schizophrenia, leaving them even more vulnerable and further exacerbating their problems

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6
Q

urbanicity

A

city life is more stressful than rural life and long-term exposure to such stress may trigger an episode of schizophrenia.

stress can be caused by urbanicity because of constant noise, traffic, pollution, crime etc.

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7
Q

social isolation

A

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 inappropriate and, in the absence of corrective feedback, they begin behaving strangely

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8
Q

immigration and minority status

A

immigrants are at greater risk of schizophrenia than the general population. risk decreases as the number of people from the same ethnic group increases.

marginalisation of outgroups may leave people vulnerable to SZ

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9
Q

are first or second generation immigrants more at risk of schizophrenia?

A
  • second generation immigrants may be at greater risk than first generation immigrants because they have weaker ethnic/cultural identity.
  • they have learned, more than their parents, to fit in with the norms of the indigenous society.
  • therefore, their identification with their parents and the beliefs and expectations they hold may be at odds with those of their parents and extended family.
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10
Q

social causation - supporting evidence (urbanisation)

A

P - Supporting evidence for urbanisation

E - Vassos found a significant correlation between urban environments and schizophrenia. Conducted a meta-analysis of data from 4 studies in Sweden, Netherlands and Denmark which consisted of 24,000 cases of SZ. Found risk of SZ was 2.37 times higher for people living in urban environments compared with rural. Urbanicity stress, dense population and isolation are risk factors of schizophrenia.

T - valid

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11
Q

social causation - supp evidence uses correlations

A

P - Supporting evidence uses correlations

E - It is not possible to say SZ is directly caused by urbanicity/adversity. The reverse may be true - social drift hypothesis suggests people with SZ find it hard to hold down a job leading them to ‘drift’ into a lower social class so they live in deprived inner city areas.

T - Therefore cause and effect cannot be determined - SZ could lead to urbanicity rather than vice versa.

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12
Q

social causation - supp evidence for risk to immigrants

A

P - Supporting evidence for risk to immigrants

Velling identifies social stress in immigrants. The risk of SZ among 1st and 2nd generation immigrants is increased by discrimination and having a weak identification with their ethnic group. This causes chronic social stress, which creates risk factors for those vulnerable to SZ

T = high scientific status

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13
Q

social causation - lacks internal validity

A

P - lacks internal validity

Less scientific than biological explanations. Social risk factors can explain SZ but it is hard to know which social factors are involved as factors interact and are hard to isolate for a study, such as an experiments.

T - This means the social causation hypothesis lacks supporting internally valid scientific data.

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14
Q

social causation - application

A

P - Application to real life

E - The explanation can help prevent risk factors which causes stress. This can be done through reducing overcrowded housing, tackling poverty and encouraging the development for ethnic identities by building communities which accept and celebrate cultural diversity

T - useful to society

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15
Q

social causation - difficult to implement, no short term relief

A

P - difficult to implement, no short term relief

E - Tackling social adversity (overcrowding, poverty, unemployment, social isolation) in inner-city areas is difficult because it is too complex.
It relies on long-term social change to stop discrimination and financial investment from the government.

T - Therefore has limited practical application because it doesn’t offer immediate relief for individuals with SZ, unlike antipsychotics or CBT

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16
Q

social causation - focus on nurture

A

P - focus on nurture side of the debate

E - Velling found lower risk of SZ is linked to
- Living in a neighbourhood with other members of own ethnic group and
- having a strong ethnic identity
These factors may buffer against or prevent social stress which makes people more vulnerable to SZ

T - detailed, scientific evidence

17
Q

social causation - reductionist, ignores nature

A

P - therefore reductionist, ignores nature

Not a complete explanation of SZ on it’s own. Environmental factors only triggers the onset of SZ in people who are genetically predisposed to the condition (diathesis-stress model)

T - so to offer a valid explanation it must be combined with biological explanations (genes/neurotransmitters)

18
Q

social causation - conclusion

A

can explain how we develop schizophrenia to an extent but should use combination of biological factors