The interactionist approach to schizophrenia Flashcards
What does diathesis mean?
Vulnerability
In the context of a diathesis-stress model, what does diathesis mean?
A negative experience
What is the interactionist approach to schizophrenia also sometimes called?
The biosocial approach
The interactionist approach to schizophrenia is an approach that acknowledges what about the development of schizophrenia?
That there are many factors in its development
The interactionist approach to schizophrenia is acknowledges that there are many factors in the development of schizophrenia, including which factors?
Biological, psychological and social
Give 2 examples of biological factors acknowledged to be involved in the development of schizophrenia by the interactionist approach
Genetic vulnerability and neurochemical and neurological abnormality
Give an example of a psychological factor acknowledged to be involved in the development of schizophrenia by the interactionist approach
Stress, e.g. resulting from life events and daily hassles
Give an example of a social factor acknowledged to be involved in the development of schizophrenia by the interactionist approach
Poor quality interaction in family
The diathesis-stress model says what is necessary in order to develop schizophrenia?
Both vulnerability to schizophrenia and a stress-trigger
The diathesis-stress model says that what make a person particularly vulnerable to developing schizophrenia?
One or more underlying factors
The diathesis-stress model says that the onset of schizophrenia is triggered by what?
Stress
Meehl’s model was the original…
diathesis-stress model
Who made the original diathesis-stress model?
Meehl
When did Meehl create the original diathesis-stress model?
1962
In the original diathesis-stress model, vulnerability was…
entirely genetic
In the original diathesis-stress model, what was vulnerability a result of?
A single ‘schizogene’
True/False: The original diathesis-stress model said that vulnerability was entirely genetic
True
The original diathesis-stress model said that vulnerability was entirely genetic - this led to the idea of…
a biologically based schizotypic personality
The fact that the original diathesis-stress model said that vulnerability was entirely genetic led to the idea of a biologically based schizotypic personality. What is one characteristic of this?
Sensitivity to stress
Meehl’s original diathesis-stress model is over…
simplistic
Why is Meehl’s original diathesis-stress model oversimplistic?
Multiple genes in multiple combinations influence diathesis and stress can also come in many forms
True/False: Multiple genes in multiple combinations influence diathesis
True
True/False: Stress only comes in one form in terms of the diathesis-stress model
False, it can come in many forms
True/False: Dysfunctional parenting can be an example of stress in the diathesis-stress model
True
In the diathesis-stress model, diathesis can be influenced by p____________ factors
psychological
True/False: In terms of the diathesis-stress model, stress can only be psychological
False, it can be biological as well as psychological
What did Housten et al. (2008) find about childhood sexual abuse?
This emerged as the major influence or underlying vulnerability to schizophrenia
What did Housten et al. (2008) find was the major trigger for schizophrenia in people who had been sexually abused as children?
Cannabis use
Housten et al.’s (2008) findings about people who had been sexually abused as children and used cannabis show that there are…
multiple factors affecting both diathesis and stress
True/False: Housten et al.’s (2008) findings support the suggestion that only biological factors influence diathesis
False, it supported the idea that both biological and psychological factors can affect both diathesis and stress
Housten et al.’s findings challenge/support the modern understanding of both diathesis and stress
suppport
True/False: Our understanding of diathesis has remained consistent
False, it has changed
It is now clear that many genes each appear to increase genetic vulnerability o…
only slightly
True/False: There is a single ‘schizogene’
False, there isn’t one
Who said there is no single ‘schizogene’?
Ripke et al. (2014)
Modern views of diathesis include a range of factors beyond genetic, including…
psychological trauma
In terms of the diathesis-stress model, trauma is a diathesis/stressor
Can be both
Read et al. (2001) proposed a __________________ model
neurodevelopmental
Read et al. (2001)’s neurodevelopmental model states that early trauma has what impact on the developing brain?
Alters it
Read et al. (2001)’s neurodevelopmental model says that early and severe enough trauma can…
seriously affect many aspects of brain development
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system becoming overactive is an example of what in relation to the diathesis-stress model?
Early and severe trauma such as child abuse affecting brain development - making a person much more vulnerable to later stress
The neurodevelopmental model proposed by Read et al. (2001) suggests that what can seriously affect many aspects of brain development and make a person much more vulnerable to later stress?
Early and severe enough trauma, such as child abuse
True/False: Our understanding of stress has remained consistent
False, it has changed
In the original diathesis-stress model of schizophrenia, stress was seen as _____________ in nature
psychological
In the original diathesis-stress model of schizophrenia, stress was seen as psychological in nature - in particular related to what?
Parenting
Although psychological stress may still be considered important, in terms of the diathesis-stress model of schizophrenia a modern definition includes anything that…
risks triggering schizophrenia
Who said that although psychological stress may still be important, a modern definition includes anything that risks trigering schizophrenia?
Houston et al. (2008)
Much of the recent research into factors triggering an episode of schizophrenia has concerned ________ use
cannabis
In terms of the diathesis-stress model, cannabis is what?
A stressor
Why is cannabis a stressor in terms of the diathesis-stress model?
It increases the risk of schizophrenia by up to seven times according to dose
Cannabis increases the risk of schizophrenia by up to how many times according to dose?
Seven
Cannabis increases the risk of schizophrenia by up to seven times according to dose. This may be because…
cannabis interferes with teh dopamine system
Most people do/don’t develop schizophrenia after smoking cannabis
don’t
Why do most people not develop schizophrenia after smoking cannabis?
Presumably because they lack the requisite vulnerability factors
True/False: There is evidence to support the role of both vulnerability and triggers
True
What did Tienari et al. (2004) investigate?
The impact of both genetic vulnerability and a psychological trigger on schizophrenia
Tienari et al. (2004) investigated the impact of which two things on schizophrenia?
Genetic vulnerability and a psychological trigger
In Tienari et al.’s investigation into the impact of genetic vulnerability and a psychological trigger on schizophrenia, what would dysfunctional parenting be classed as?
A psychological trigger
Tienari et al.’s (2004) investigation was a small/large-scale study
large
How many Finnish children did Tienari et al. investigate?
19000
Tienari et al. investigated 19000 children from which country?
Finland
Tienari et al. investigated 19000 Finnish children whose biological mothers had been…
diagnosed with schizophrenia
In adulthood, the 19000 Finnish children whose biological mothers had been diagnosed with schizophrenia as investigated by Tienari were compared to…
A control group of adoptees without a family history of schizophrenia (low genetic risk)
In Tienari et al.’s investigation of 19000 Finnish children whose biological mothers had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, the control group were adoptees and the adopted parents had been…
assessed for child-rearing style
What did Tienari et al. (2004) find in their investigation into the impact of genetic vulnerability and a psychological trigger on schizophrenia?
High levels of criticism, hostility and low levels of empathy were strongly associated with the development of schizophrenia, but only in the high genetic risk group
Give 2 examples of characteristics that Tienari et al. (2004) found were strongly associated with the development of schizophrenia in their high genetic risk group
Any 2 from high levels of criticism, hostility and low levels of empathy
True/False: Tienari et al. found that high levels of criticism, hostility and low levels of empathy were associated with the development of schizophrenia even in low genetic risk groups
False, only the high genetic risk group
The fact that high levels of criticism, hostility and low levels of empathy were associated with the development of schizophrenia only in the high genetic risk group shows that…
a combination of genetic vulnerability and family stress can lead to greatly increased risk of schizophrenia
The interactionist approach to schizophrenia acknowledges which factors?
Both biological and psychological factors in schizophrenia
True/False: The interactionist approach to schizophrenia is compatible with both biological and psychological treatments
True
The interactionist approach is associated with combining which two approaches to treating schizophrenia?
Antipsychotic medication and psychological therapies such as CBT
What is the most common psychological therapy for schizophrenia?
CBT
In Britain it is increasingly standard practice to treat people diagnosed with schizophrenia with…
a combination of antipsychotic drugs and CBT
In the US there is more of a history of conflict between psychological and biological models of schizophrenia. This may have led to…
slower adoption of an interactionist approach
True/False: Medication without an accompanying psychological treatment is more common in the UK than in the US
False, it is the other way around
What did Turkington et al. (2006) point about about CBT?
It is perfectly possible to believe in biological causes of schizophrenia and still practise CBT to relieve psychological symptoms
Turkington et al. (2006) pointed out that it is perfectly possible to believe in biological causes of schizophrenia and still practise CBT. WHy?
To relieve psychological symptoms
Turkington et al. (2006) pointed out that it is perfectly possible to believe in biological causes of schizophrenia and still practise CBT - this requires adopting what kind of model?
An interactionist model
It is not possible to adopt a purely biological approach and tell people diagnosed with schizophrenia that their condition is…
purely biological
You can’t tell people that there is no psychological significance to symptoms of schizophrenia and then simultaneously treat them with…
CBT
The interactionist approach to schizophrenia combines what kind of treatments?
Biological and psychological ones
A practical application of acknowledging biological and psychological factors in treating schizophrenia has been…
the combination of drug treatment and psychological therapies
Studies show that combining psychological and biological treatments for schizophrenia has what impact on their effectiveness?
Enhances it
What did Tarrier et al. (2004) do?
Randomly allocated 315 participants to medication and CBT, and medication and counselling
Participants in Tarrier et al.’s (2004) medication only control group showed…
higher symptoms following the trial than the two-combination groups
Participants in Tarrier et al.’s (2004) medication only group showed higher symptoms following the trial than the two-combination groups. This shows that there is…
a clear advantage to adopting an interactionist approach to schizophrenia in terms of superior treatment outcomes
Why did Jarvis and Okami (2019) criticise the use of biological and psychological treatments for schizophrenia together?
They said that saying a successful treatment for a mental disorder justifies a particular explanation is the logical equivalent of saying that because alcohol reduces shyness, shyness is caused by lack of alcohol
Jarvis and Okami said saying a successful treatment for a mental disorder justifies a particular explanation is the logical equivalent of saying that because alcohol reduces shyness, shyness is caused by lack of alcohol. What is logical error called?
The treatment-causation fallacy
Jarvis and Okami said saying a successful treatment for a mental disorder justifies a particular explanation is the logical equivalent of saying that because alcohol reduces shyness, shyness is caused by lack of alcohol. Therefore…
we cannot automatically assume that the success of combined therapies means interactionist explanations are correct
True/False: Schizophrenia is more commonly diagnosed in rural areas than urban ones
False, it is more commonly diagnosed in urban areas
How is the fact that schizophrenia is more commonly diagnosed in urban than rural areas sometimes used to justify the interactionist approach?
It assumes that urban living is more stressful than rural and therefore city living acts as a trigger
Why may the fact that schizophrenia is more commonly diagnosed in urban areas than rural areas not be a valid justification of the interactionist position?
It may simply be that schizophrenia is more likely to be diagnosed in cities, or people with a diathesis for schizophrenia may tend to migrate to cities e.g. teenagers abused as children
Schizophrenia is more commonly diagnosed in urban than rural areas. This may not be because urban living is more stressful than rural living. Give one alternative reason as to why this may be
Any from it may simply be that schizophrenia is more likely to be diagnosed in cities and people with a diathesis for schizophrenia may tend to migrate to cities, e.g. teenagers abused as children
