Week 1.3.1: Psychological and Social Factors Flashcards
The study of how often diseases occur in different groups of people and why
Epidemiology
The study of the causes or origins of diseases.
Aetiology
Examining how the characteristics of the area where someone lives can affect their risk of developing psychotic disorders.
Neighborhood Level
Looking at how personal experiences throughout a person’s life can influence their risk.
Individual Level Across Life Course
The rate at which new cases of a disease occur in a population over a specific period.
Incidence
A strict definition of schizophrenia with specific diagnostic criteria.
Narrow Schizophrenia
A wider definition of schizophrenia that includes a broader range of symptoms and cases.
Broad Schizophrenia
Studies that combine data from multiple studies to draw broader conclusions.
Meta-Analyses
The idea that a disease occurs at the same rate everywhere.
Uniform Incidence
A study that does not have enough participants to detect a difference if one exists.
Under-powered Study
Initially, it was like thinking that everyone around the world catches the flu at the same rate, regardless of their environment. However, newer studies show that just like flu rates can vary based on location and conditions, so can the rates of schizophrenia.
Uniformity Misconception
Variation or differences in the methods or procedures used in different studies.
Heterogeneity
What are the incidence variations of schizophrenia based on the findings from the Meta-analysis by John McGraw and Colleagues?
Higher in men compared to women.
Higher in urban areas compared to rural areas.
Higher in migrant groups compared to non-migrant groups.
The characteristics of being urban, often related to population density (how many people live in a given area).
Urbanicity
Databases that contain information about all individuals in a population, used for research and public health monitoring.
Population Registers
A relationship where a change in the amount, intensity, or duration of exposure to a factor (e.g., population density) leads to a change in the risk of a certain outcome (e.g., schizophrenia).
Dose Response Effect
What is the association between urban areas and the incidence of schizophrenia?
Individuals who moved out of urban areas in the five years before the study had a reduced incidence of schizophrenia.
Individuals who moved into urban areas had an increased incidence of schizophrenia.
Migrants, especially those from visible minority groups, tend to have higher rates of psychotic disorders compared to non-migrants.
The increased incidence is particularly high for visible minority groups.
For some groups, like migrants from Eastern Europe or Asia, the increase in incidence is much smaller or not present at all.
Migrant Effect
Individuals who have moved from one country to another
First-generation Migrants
Children of first-generation migrants, born and raised in the host country.
Second-generation Migrants
The majority population in the country where migrants have settled.
Host Population
What are the implications of migration in psychosis?
Not Just Migration: The increased incidence of psychotic disorders is not primarily due to the process of migration itself.
Minority Status: It is more likely related to the experience of living as a minority in a majority population. This suggests that social factors, such as discrimination, social isolation, and stress, play a significant role.
