Schizophrenia: The Social Causation Hypothesis Flashcards
(17 cards)
Describe what the social causation hypothesis states about the cause of schizophrenia.
That it is caused through the relationship of urban living and only acts as a trigger for symptoms instead of a direct cause.
State 5 potential factors that may affect development of schizophrenia according to the social causation hypothesis.
1) Overcrowding
2) Poor living conditions
3) Unemployment/low income
4) Living in an urban area with a high pop density
5) Poor family relations
What is the justification for ethnic minorities to be more at risk of developing schizophrenia when it is not down to genetics?
Immigrant population tend to be disadvantaged with regard to educational attainment, social class, discrimination, and standard of living.
What is the baseline measure for risk of schizophrenia?
In a rural environment, which is given a value of 1.
What does going above/below the baseline measure involve and what implications does this have for risk of schizophrenia?
Any other environment that has a value higher than 1 increases risk of developing schizophrenia whilst having anything lower than 1 lowers risk.
List 3 factors the social causation hypothesis uses to determine risk of schizophrenia.
1) Social class
2) Social adversity
3) Immigrant population
Describe social class as a factor of developing schizophrenia.
- People who are in lower socio-economic groups have higher incidences of schizophrenia
- incidence of above 4/1000 developing the mental disorder which is higher than the general 1% of the population
- this could also be linked to location
- freeman et al (1994) cites studies in Stockholm, Chicago, London, Salford, Nottingham which all show an above average incidence of sz in comparison to the normal population
- this is in the lowest social class
- This could be due to receiving different standards of health care or having poorer living conditions= increasing stress
- increasing stress leads to a schizophrenic breakdown in those who are vulnerable.
Name a piece of research that supports the idea of social class playing a role in developing schizophrenia.
Cooper (2005) supports social class as a factor. He found that the rate of schizophrenia in unskilled labour workers was 4.1x higher than higher managerial workers. This therefore supports the idea that coming from a lower class increases risk of developing schizophrenia due to the high levels of stress in lower positions lead to a schizophrenic breakdown in those who are vulnerable.
Describe social adversity as a factor of developing schizophrenia.
- Social adversity during childhood is linked to an increased risk of developing schizophrenia
- This is especially true in cases of children who come from a lower socio-economic background whereby pressures of life are more intense and immediate
- This could be due to stress from the adversity triggering disorder
- features of environment are social deprivation, poverty, isolation, unemployment, high pop density, poor housing, drug use, and separation from parents as a child.
- these factors cause high levels of psychological stress that could lead to a schizophrenic breakdown in those who are vulnerable.
Name a piece of research that supports the idea of social adversity playing a role in developing schizophrenia.
Hjem et al (2004) supports social adversity as a factor. He conducted a study in Sweden and found that social adversity in childhood relates to the development of schizophrenia later in life, therefore demonstrating that social adversity could be a factor leading to development of schizophrenia.
Describe the immigrant population as a factor of developing schizophrenia.
- Higher incidences of schizophrenia have been found in African-Caribbeans and black immigrants
- This is due to these minorities being more disadvantaged in education and the workplace that can lead to unemployment or poor living conditions that enhances stress
Name a piece of research that supports the idea of the immigrant population playing a role in developing schizophrenia.
Willem Anne Volling (2008) suggests that sz may be a reaction towards the chronic experience of prejudice and discrimination.
Fearon et al (2004) supports the immigrant population as a factor for the development of sz. Fearon found that there are 4x more incidences oof sz in black immigrants than in the white population- therefore demonstrating that the immigrant population are more at risk of developing sz due to disadvantages in standard of housing, experiencing discrimination and in educational attainment.
Rejecting evidence DELETE
Kirkbride rejects the immigrant population as a factor contributing hr the development of sz. He found that rates of sz were lower for afro-Caribbean’s when they lived in ethnically integrated neighbourhoods, showing that it is not just all ethnic minorities that are at risk of developing the disorder, rejecting a factor of the social causation hypothesis.
Using the acronym ‘EACH’, evaluate a rejecting ‘evidence’ point.
Evaluation of research evidence, alternative explanation.
A weakness of the research is that the evidence from research is not valid. This is because it is difficult to determine whether social factors actually cause schizophrenia or whether they are in fact a result of the disorder. This therefore lacks validity as data is only correlational, and so the social drift hypothesis is a better explanation. This suggests that individuals who develop sz are more likely to lose their jobs and so their socio-economic status is reduced- therefore, schizophrenia causes reduced social status, rather than low social status causing sz.
Are there any applications?
A strength of this theory is that there are positive applications. This theory states that social factors cause symptoms of schizophrenia which means that treatments can be put in place in urban areas to aid the stress that sufferers may feel due to their environment and circumstance. This would therefore help to reduce incidences in high density places to improve community and reduce the occurrence of sz.
Criticism of the theory.
A weakness of the theory is that it is reductionist/insufficient explanation on its own. Social causation is not an explanation for cause- merely stating there is an association between social factors and sz. The social causation hypothesis only states that social factors contribute to symptoms and development of schizophrenia. Therefore it does not attempt to explain the origins of the disorder and so cannot be used as a theory by itself, reducing credibility
