schizophrenia - social: dysfunctional families Flashcards
(3 cards)
reductionist
P: One weakness of the dysfunctional families is that it’s reductionist becasue it overlooks biological factors and focuses on;y on social factors like double bind statements
E: Gottesman et al found that as genetic similarity increased, so did the probability of both individuals having schizophrenia. For MZ twins it was 48% whereas it is only 1% in the general population
T: This suggests that genetic factors play a role in the development of SZ. Therefore it provides a partial explanation of SZ, which lowers the overall accuracy and validity of the explanation as a whole
C: However, it simplifies complex phenomena, making them more understandable and researchable. By focusing on specific social factors, such as family communication patterns, researchers can isolate the impact of these triggers on schizophrenia to develop preventions
usefulness
P: One strength of the dysfunctional families is that it has useful application for guiding family members in understanding schizophrenia to reduce risk of relapse
E: Pharoah et al reviewed 53 randomised control trials and concluded that ‘family intervention’ decreased frequency of relapse and hospital admissions. Family intervention is a method of modifying that includes family members reducing expressions of anger and guilt and maintaining reasonable expectations about how a schizophrenic may perform
T: This suggests that by educating caregivers, it will greatly improve the lives of both SZ and their caregivers. Therefore, this further increases the validity and reliability of the explanation (due to the proven effectiveness)
C: However, relying solely on family-focused interventions might limit treatment options for those without supportive or willing family environments, reducing the overall applicability of the approach. Tarrier et al. (1988) found that the outcomes varied significantly, and that individual based treatments (like CBT) were significantly more effective. Suggesting that application from this explanation may be less useful than other applications from other explanations
unscientific
