SZ social causation Hypothesis (Social) Flashcards
Social causation hypothesis of schizophrenia
In this hypothesis there are four key factors that afford to contribute to the onset of schizophrenia:
social adversy:
EG unemployment, poverty, poor living standards etc
so socioeconomic status may also provide access to treatment
urbanity:
– life in the cities are more stressful than in rural areas
for example light pollution, noise, crime rates, faster pace living and greater anonymity
social isolation:
– withdrawal due to schizophrenic symptoms can worse in prognosis
immigration in Minority status:
– second generation immigrants are at risk
– outgroup status, weaker cultural identity, exposed to Prejudice and discrimination
this thurther enhances the social isolation Factor
Social causation hypothesis of schizophrenia
Social Adversity
People in the lowest social class/ group have a higher incidence of schizophrenia in the UK
A rate of around 4 per 1000 has been found in the lowest social class in the white population and in black Immigrant Groups
People in lower social classes also experience a different course for the illness and receive different treatment.
lower classes are more likely to be brought for medical help by police of social services or be compulsorily admitted and become long term cases
(Cooper (2005)
found that schizophrenia was 4.1 times higher in males classed as unskilled labourers than those classed as higher managerial
So social class is a big old factor
Social causation hypothesis of schizophrenia
Urbanicity
• Schizophrenia is more associated with living in cities than rural areas
• Freeman (1994) reported an above average incidence of schizophrenia in Stockholm, Chicago, London and Nottingham
– William Eaton (1974) suggested city life is more stressful than rural life
and long- term exposure to such stress can trigger an episode of schizophrenia
These areas are densely populated inner-city suburbs, suggesting inner city surroundings play an important role
The idea is that poor social conditions create stresses that can trigger schizophrenia in some people
Stress from citys:
More people, busy, concrete jungle, pollution common noise, traffic, light comer access to healthcare etc
Social causation hypothesis of schizophrenia
pedersen and mortensen 2001 graphs
One graph shows the more urban and area gets the higher the relative risk of schizophrenia with the capital being 2.3 times more likely to develop schizophrenia than rural areas
and with large towns 1.5 times as likely
Another graph shows the effect of changing of residents on the risk of schizophrenia
As if you move to a more densely populated area there is a 1.4 times greater risk of schizophrenia than if you have not moved
And if you moved to a less densely populated area then the risk of schizophrenia is only 0.8 of that of what it was before you moved
Once again provided in evidence suggesting urbanity is a cause of schizophrenia
A final graph shows that Urban exposure within childhood also increases schizophrenia risk as between 10 to 14 years there is an increase of 1.4 of the risk of in a capital
whereas in a Suburb there is only an increase of 0.3 to an original risk
For once again suggesting that the more urban a place we hire the risk of schizophrenia
therefore meaning that these graphs support the social causation hypothesis of schizophrenia
Social causation hypothesis of schizophrenia
Social Isolation
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/ thoughts are ‘inappropriate’ and in
the absence of corrective feedback
(support system not avalible to correct/adress abnormal behaviours)
, they begin to
demonstrate behaviours that deviate from the norm.
Social causation hypothesis of schizophrenia
Immigration and Minority Status
• In the UK, census data consistently shows a higher incidence of Sz in the Afro-Caribbean and black immigrant population
• The rate for second generation Afro-Caribbean immigrants is higher than for first generation immigrants
– (First gen has stromg cultural ties and 3rd ids with local but 2nd does neither so feel in out group, and social Isolation due)
• Immeagration can lead to social issolation due to differing Cultural and social norms from when they come from
• The immigrant population tends to be disadvantaged with regard to:
education, social class, standard of housing, over-crowded living conditions and discrimination
• Research has also shown that in many countries
– first-generation 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 (Boydell et al., 2001).
Social causation hypothesis of schizophrenia
Diathesis Stress model
• Many psychologists acknowledge that the onset of mental health
illnesses such as schizophrenia is caused by a combination of
environmental and biological factors.
• Environmental factors (working class, living in a high crime area) are thought to act as a trigger for the biological predisposition (e.g.
increased D2 receptors)
• These environmental factors are the stressors which increase our
chances of reaching the ‘finish line’ for the onset of mental health disorders.
• However protective factors such as a supportive social group can help prevent us from reaching that finish line
Social causation hypothesis of schizophrenia
Social Defeat Hypothesis
the intruder rat was placed woth the resident rats
• Social defeat is a further way to consider how social factors may cause schizophrenia.
– Social defeat occurs when a person (or animal) is exposed to hostile confrontations from another individual, such as bullying or abuse (verbal or physical), such confrontations result in being excluded from the majority group and creates high levels of stress.
Jean-Paul Selten and Elizabeth Cantor-Graae (2005)
– proposed the social defeat hypothesis to explain a link between social defeat and
dopamine activity.
– Studies with rats have shown that when a male rat (the intruder) is placed into another rat’s cage (the resident), the
resident then shows signs of submission and increase dopamine activity in the brains mesolimbic pathway
ressident rats show signs of Submission (implies conflict and deffeat)
to the intruder
increases dope lvl in Messolimbic activity = + symptoms of SZ
Social causation hypothesis of schizophrenia
Evidence + urbanicity
Vassos et al 2012
and meta analysis - cuz diff research desigms and Lack depth in quant
Vassos et al 2012
Meta analysis of data from four studies conducted in Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark
included nearly 24,000 cases of schizophrenia
they correlated location for both urban and rural with schizophrenic risk
and found a link at the extremes where the risk is 2.37x higher for those living in the most urban areas than the most rural areas
therefore supporting the Urban environment being stressful leading can increase risk of schizophrenia
and the supports in the social causation hypothesis area on urbanicity
Meta analysis is bad as secondary data May be invalid due to different research designs
for example the definition of urban meaning that using the All together in the meta analysis is invalid
as they have different methods so it cannot objectively and directly support one another
so secondary data using meta analysis such as vassos et al 2012 is invalid internally
it’s also quantitative only and lacks detail
and if something lacks detail and depth in its conclusion it makes meta analysis further invalid
Social causation hypothesis of schizophrenia
Research is corrolational so could be drift hypothesis (alt and int val -)
For example data into the social causation hypothesis purely correlational,
so it is not possible to say whether schizophrenia is caused by urbanism or adversity
in fact, the reverse could be true, the social drift hypothesis suggests that those with schizophrenia find it hard to hold down a job,
leading them to a drift into a lower class than parents and siblings
this may lead them to migrating into inner cities
correlational research can only find a relationship between urbanity and stress with schizophrenia
there is no cause and effect established between them
which means that they have very low internal validity
the Drift hypothesis could be an explanation schizophrenia causes somebody to move to an urban area not an urban area causes schizophrenia
Social causation hypothesis of schizophrenia
Opposition to Drift Hypothesis
+ Castle et al 1993
Castle 1993
Compares Birth place of schizophrenic people in Camberwell
with a control group
and find schizophrenics born into deprived urban areas do not drift their out of illness
this finding opposes the Drift hypothesis and supports these social causation hypothesis and urbanity
as it suggests that urban city does cause schizophrenia
Social causation hypothesis of schizophrenia
One weakness is that social causation hypothesis cannot be a full explanation the schizophrenia there is a reasons argue neurotransmitter factors exist
Seeman 2013
• suggested a high N⁰ of active D2 dope receptors causes SZ
– as this means Dope is more likley to bind to a receptor carrying out its function
– this is thurther prooved by OWEN ET AL 1978
– who found an abnormaly large quantity of D2 receptors in SZ patients during a Post mortem Investigation
– gaining evidence for Seeman’s suggestion
this gives credit to the Neurobiological cause as it shows a greater N⁰ of D2 receptors are present on SZ patients linking them to it’s cause as more receptors means more binding so there is greater lvls of Dopamine in function
– Providing support for one of the Explenations of Hyperdopaminergia in the Dopamine Hypothesis, that claims an increased N⁰ of Dopmaine receptors in the post synapse may cause SZ
Therefore this suggests that there are other factors that could be the cause of schizophrenia
and therefore social causation hypothesis alone is reductionist
and the diathesis stress model would be a more accurate representation of the cause of schizophrenia as it would incorporate both biological and social Factors in its cause reducing its reduction
Social causation hypothesis of schizophrenia
Application
Wow It Highlights the areas in society that need to be tackled to reduce the risk of schizophrenia
such as housing projects with reduced overcrowding and encouragement to neighbourhood cohesion and celebrate cultural diversity should Foster the courage, fortitude and resilience which will help community’s arm themselves against mental breakdown
this helps tackle urbanicty and social isolation even cultural isolation due to immigration and ethnic minorities although it doesn’t really help social adversity
This is an impact and application of the social causation hypothesis of schizophrenia
Social causation hypothesis of schizophrenia
Strauss 1982 + social adversity
Strauss 1982
Noted that studies in countries e.g USA have revealed the Instance of schizophrenia To Be Higher among lower socio-economic groups the middle or higher ones
supporting the idea of social adversity in social causation hypothesis of schizophrenia
Social causation hypothesis of schizophrenia
Sartorius 1986 -
Sarrorius 1986
Rates of schizophrenia is similar across numerous cultures despite these cultures having enormous differences in factors such as poverty and physical health etc (social adversity)
which social causation hypothesis says is really important to schizophrenia’s development
therefore this study (Sartorius 1986) opposes SCH by saying some factors are irrelevant on cross-cultural scales
for example social reversity which is linked to poverty and access to treatments
