Social Psychological Explanations Flashcards
(30 cards)
What has been generally accepted since the 1990s
That biological explanations do not explain all the available data regarding schizophrenia
What has there been a revival of research into?
The role of social factors as casual agents of schizophrenia.
What do most research suggest
sociocultural factors i.e aspects of society or culture we live in interact with biological factors to help us understand and explain the disorder.
How do social psychological explanations explain schizophrenia?
Symptoms develop because of differences in our social environment e.g factors external to the individual
What are the two social psychological explanations?
Sociocultural factors
Dysfunctional Families
What did Boydell et al 2004 find
-identified a number of social factors implicated the development of schizophrenia including the urban effect, social isolation and life events.
The urban effect
City birth/upbringing
What study used a danish population of 1.75 million to study the urban effect?
Mortensen et al 1999
Used 1.75 million participants to show strong effects for urban birth. The larger the town of birth the greater the risk of schizophrenia which couldn’t be explained by looking at family history.
What was found in 2010 about the urban effect?
Jim Van Os et al (2010) found a higher incidence (0.5%) of schizophrenia in people born and raised in urban areas.
Why could poverty be a potential risk of schizophrenia?
Levels of poverty are high in urban areas which could result in high levels of expressed emotion in a household.
Why can stress especially maternal stress be a potential risk for schizophrenia?
Research has found links between stress due to an unwanted pregnancy and the likelihood of the child suffering from schizophrenia. This stress is also often linked to poverty
Why can substance abuse be a potential risk for schizophrenia?
-often higher in urban areas
-Zammit et al 2002 found that in 40,000 males cannabis use doubled the risk of schizophrenia
Why can ethnicity be a potential risk for schizophrenia?
Urban areas are more likely to have a greater percentage of ethnic minority groups. Research implies that schizophrenia is higher in ethnic minority groups
-Statistics suggest that individuals from an Afro-Carribean descent have a higher incidence rate possibly due to the stress and discrimination they face.
What did Boydell find in 2001 about ethnic minority groups and schizophrenia
-demonstrated that the incidence rates of schizophrenia increased in ethnic minorities as the proportion of ethnic minorities in the locality fell. This suggests that factors such as isolation and discrimination are contributing to the development of schizophrenia.
Why can a lack of exposure Tbe a potential risk of schizophrenia
Green space exposure might reduce the risk of schizophrenia through stress reduction and less pollution. A danish study showed an increased psychosis risk in those who lived in least green spaces during childhood compared to those who lived in the greenest areas.
Benefits of green spaces
-provides a calmer and less polluted environment especially for children
-provides opportunities for outdoor activity which can help enhance resilience and protect developing brains.
Why is social isolation a potential reason for schizophrenia?
Has been linked to schizophrenic symptoms. Isolation cuts the individual off from feedback about what behaviour or thoughts are inappropriate and they may begin to behave strangely.
What does isolation and lack of support do?
-decreases a person’s capacity to cope with stress which may increase the risk of developing schizophrenia. Urbanicity and overcrowding can lead to social isolation because it causes disruption in social networks and social support.
How can life events lead to schizophrenia?
Brown and Birley 1968 observed that episodes of schizophrenia were often preceded by a number of stressful of life events e,g moving house, marriage, divorce, death or illness of someone close. Factors such as these in our social and cultural environment can be linked to schizophrenic symptoms.
Supporting Evidence (Sociocultural Factors)
Mortensen et al found that living in a highly populated area increased the
likelihood of developing schizophrenia
What did Brown and Birley find? Supporting evidence sociocultural factors
Found a correlation between stressful life events and schizophrenia
What study in 2000 showed another potential risk of schizophrenia?
Jim van Os et al (2000) found that single people who lived in neighbourhoods with few other single people were at a greater risk of developing schizophrenia arguably because this increased the individual’s isolation and loneliness.
What did Fett, Lemmers-Jansen and Krabbendam find?
In 2019 they reviewed 17 studies which investigated the link between psychosis and urbanicity and provided support for the above risk factors. They did however conclude that this is an area needed for more thorough investigation.
Alternative evidence (other explanations)
