sz non-bio exp Flashcards
what is the non-biological explanation of schizophrenia?
social causation hypothesis
what does the social causation hypothesis suggest?
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
what are the risk factors in social causation hypothesis?
- Social adversity
- Urbanicity
- Social isolation
- Immigration and minority status
what is social adversity?
means a person’s physical, intellectual, emotional and social needs are not met
includes unstable employment, poverty, poor living standards and poor nutrition
social adversity in regards to socioecnomic status
people from lower socioeconomic groups may not be able to access treatment for schizophrenia, leaving them even more vulnerable and further exacerbating their problems
urbanicity
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.
social isolation
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
immigration and minority status
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
are first or second generation immigrants more at risk of schizophrenia?
- 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.
social causation - supporting evidence (urbanisation)
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
social causation - supp evidence uses correlations
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.
social causation - supp evidence for risk to immigrants
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
social causation - lacks internal validity
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.
social causation - application
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
social causation - difficult to implement, no short term relief
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
