Interactionist Approach

Question 1

Diathesis Stress Model

Answer 1

DIATHESIS:
- Findings from twin studies suggest a genetic component in terms of vulnerability
¬ identical twin of person with sz is at higher risk if developing sz than sibling or DZ twin
¬ however, concordance rates are only 48%. Therefore, environmental factors must play a role in determining whether a bio vulnerability develops into sz

STRESS:
- life events i.e. childhood trauma or everyday stressors that triggers sz
- research suggest high levels of urbanisation is associated with an increased risk of developing range of diff psychoses.
¬ *Vassos et al: meta analysis found risk of sz in urban areas was 2x higher than most rural.
¬ therefore, relationship between urban stress and sz is conditional on other factors > i.e. preexisting gen risk for sz or gen vulnerability, as well as family dysfunction

Question 2

Key Research: tienari et al

Answer 2

Mums with sz who had children adopted away:
¬ 145 adopted away (group 1)
¬ matched with 158 adoptees without gen risk group 2) > low risk
- independently assessed after 12yrs and followed up 21 yrs later
- fam function assessed using OPAS, which measures aspects such as conflict, lack of empathy and insecurity
- interviewing (of) psychiatrists kept blind

FINDINGS:
- of 303 adoptees, 14 developed sz (11 from high risk, 3 from low risk)
- However, being reared in healthy adoptive fam with low OPAS rating, had a protective effect even for those with high gen risk
*HIgh gen risk and low OPAS were sig less likely to develop sz than high gen and high OPAS. Therefore, in high gen risk, fam stress was a sig predictor of development of sz
LIMITATION: when assessing stress in fam using OPAS, psychiatrists were assessing fam functioning at only a given point in time. Therefore, this fails to reflect developmental changes in fam functioning over time!

Question 3

Evaluation: weakness

Answer 3

• May not be exclusively genetic
  ¬ tends to emphasise vulnerability in terms of gen influences alone. However this increased risk can also result from brain damage caused by environmental factors, for example, individs may develop vulnerability if they experience birth complications, as risk of getting sz from complication is 4x greater

Question 4

Evaluation: weakness

Answer 4

difficulties determining casual stress
¬ makes reference to stressful events that occur close to onset of sz. However, its possible that stressors in early life can influence how people respond to later stressful events and increase their susceptibility to the disorder
* For ex: Hammen: argues maladaptive methods of coping with stress in childhood and through development meant that individs failed to develop effective coping skills which compromised their resilience and increased their vulnerability. Therefore, ineffective coping skills may make life more stressful for them and may trigger the mental illness.

Question 5

Impl for Treatment

Answer 5

• support for usefulness of combo of both psychological and bio app in treatment i.e. drugs/CBT
  *tarrier et al: 315 patients randomly allocated to (medication + CBT) (medic + counselling), control group (medic only)
  ¬ patients in both combo showed lower symptoms levels than those in control group
• Therefore, an interactionist treatment (drugs/CBT) are needed for effective treatment of sz

Question 6

Evaluation: weakness

Answer 6

• too reductionist/ simplistic
• critics argued that original diathesis is over simplistic e.g. idea that single gene combined with certain parenting style causes the sz is too simplistic
• multiple genes found to increase risk of developing illness indicating that there’s no single ‘schizogene’
  ** HOLISTIC and INTERACTIONIST app to understand the onsent of sz is greatly needed. Idiographic research should be conducted and personalised triggers found