non-biological explanation of schizophrenia: social causation hypothesis

Question 1

define social adversity

Answer 1

• issues eg violent crime, segregation, exposure to delinquent peers, poverty and poor parenting

Question 2

define urbanicity

Answer 2

• urban living/environment which affects mental disorders

Question 3

define social isolation

Answer 3

• absence of social interactions, contacts and relationships with family and friends, with neighbours on an individual levels and with “society at large” on a broader level

Question 4

define immigrant populations

Answer 4

• people residing in a country but born in another

Question 5

define minority status

Answer 5

• culturally, ethnically or racially distinct group that coexists with but is subordinate to a more dominant group

Question 6

what is the social causation view of schizophrenia?

Answer 6

• social causation suggests that the people around us can cause or trigger schizophrenia
• environmental risk factors include family dysfunction, childhood trauma, social adversity, urbanicity, social isolation, and immigrant/minority group status
• these factors may also precipitate relapse in those already diagnosed with schizophrenia

Question 7

social adversity evidence

Answer 7

• people have physical, intellectual, emotional, and social needs
• children in unfavourable environments are more vulnerable to mental health disorders
• families facing unemployment, poverty, and a lower standard of living experience more stress
• people from lower socioeconomic groups may struggle to access schizophrenia treatment, worsening their situation

Question 8

urbanicity evidence: Eaton

Answer 8

• city life is more stressful than rural life
• lifelong exposure to stress in cities may trigger a schizophrenia episode
• stressors in cities include noise, light, pollution, criminality, faster pace, and greater anonymity
• these factors may make a person more vulnerable to schizophrenia

Question 9

social isolation evidence: Faris

Answer 9

• people with schizophrenia withdraw because contact with others feels stressful
• self-imposed isolation cuts them off from feedback on inappropriate behaviours or thoughts
• without corrective feedback, they begin to behave in a strange way

Question 10

immigrant and minority status evidence: boydell et al and veling

Answer 10

• first- and second-generation immigrants have a higher risk of schizophrenia than the general population
• this risk decreases as the number of people from the same ethnic background increases (Boydell et al., 2001)
• the risk is linked to minority or outgroup status, not ethnicity
• marginalisation of outgroups may make people more vulnerable to schizophrenia
• Veling (2008) suggests schizophrenia may be a reaction to prejudice and discrimination

Question 11

supporting: Hjem et al

Answer 11

• social adversity in childhood is linked to the development of schizophrenia later in life
• this finding was based on research carried out in Sweden

Question 12

supporting: Brown

Answer 12

• Brown (2010) reviewed the role of the environment in schizophrenia susceptibility
• covered factors like the environment before birth and drug-taking
• discussed the effects of urban living and neighbourhoods on schizophrenia risk
• also looked at the impact of immigrant status on schizophrenia susceptibility

Question 13

supporting: Peterson and Mortensen

Answer 13

• the longer a person is exposed to city life, the greater their risk of developing schizophrenia
• denser populations in cities also increase the risk of schizophrenia

Question 14

supporting: Vassos et al

Answer 14

• Vassos et al. (2012) analysed data from 4 studies in Sweden, Netherlands, and Denmark (meta-analysis)
• included nearly 24,000 cases of schizophrenia
• found that the risk of schizophrenia was 2.37 times higher in the most urban environments compared to the most rural environments

Question 15

other things (weakness)

Answer 15

• people in lower socioeconomic groups, living alone, unemployed, or in poverty may be more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia
• this suggests that the increased diagnosis could be due to diagnosis problems rather than purely environmental factors

Question 16

different

Answer 16

• poverty, unemployment, and lack of social support are stressors
• it might be the stress caused by these factors, not the environment itself, that leads to schizophrenia

Question 17

application

Answer 17

• schizophrenia is more common in lower classes and inner-city areas
• black migrants are more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia compared to white lower-class groups
• the environmental ‘breeder’ hypothesis suggests the environment (e.g. urban stressors) increases the risk of schizophrenia, better explaining these patterns than social drift