Week 2- Causal Factors and Viewpoints Flashcards
Risk factor
A factor or characteristic (X) associated with an increased risk of developing condition Y.
If, and only if, X is shown to occur before Y can we infer that X is a risk factor for Y.
Variable risk factor
if X can be changed. If it can, then it is considered to be a variable risk factor for outcome Y.
If risk factor X cannot be changed, then it is considered a _____ ____ of outcome Y, as is the case with a history of abuse during childhood
Fixed marker
Variable marker
If changing risk factor X does not lead to a change in Y.
Causal risk factor
If changing risk factor X leads to a change in Y, then and only then would we consider X a causal risk factor for condition Y.
Necessary cause
A necessary cause (X) is a characteristic that must exist for a disorder (Y) to occur. For example, general paresis (Y)—a degenerative brain disorder—cannot develop unless a person has previ-ously contracted syphilis (X).
Or more generally, if Y occurs, then X must have preceded it.
Sufficient cause
A sufficient cause of a disorder is a condition that guarantees the occurrence of a disorder.
For example, one current theory hypothesises that hopelessness (X) is a sufficient cause of depression (Y)
A contributory cause is….
one that increases the probability of a disorder developing but is neither necessary nor sufficient for the disorder to occur.
More generally, if X occurs, then the probability of Y occurring increases.
For example, parental rejection could increase the probability that a child will later have difficulty in handling close personal relationships or could increase the probability that being rejected in a relationship in adulthood will precipitate depression.
Describe the flow chart for causation (from noncorrelate to causal risk factor)
Some causal factors occurring relatively early in life may not show their effects for many years; these would be considered _______ factors
distal risk, or distal causal factors if the conditions of causality are met.
Other factors operate shortly before the occurrence of the symptoms of a disorder; these would be considered ___________risk factors
proximal
A ____ ______ ___ is a condition that tends to maintain maladaptive behaviour that is already occurring.
reinforcing contributory cause
An example is the extra attention, sympathy, and relief from unwanted responsibility that may come when a person is ill; these pleasant experiences may unintentionally discourage recovery. Another example occurs when a depressed person’s behaviour alienates friends and family, leading to a greater sense of rejection that reinforces the existing depression
A vulnerability, or ________, is a predisposition toward developing a disorder that can derive from biological, psychological, or sociocultural causal factors.
diathesis
_____, the response or experience of an individual to demands that he or she perceives as taxing or exceeding his or her personal resources
Stress
In what is called the _______ model, the diathesis and the stress simply add up, or sum together. Thus, a person with no diathesis or a very low level of diathesis could still develop a disorder when faced with high levels of stress, whereas a person with a high level of a diathesis may need only a small amount of stress before a disorder develops.
additive
In what is called an ________model, some amount of diathesis must be present before stress will have any effect
interactive
__________ ___________ decrease the likelihood of negative outcomes among those at risk
protective factors
resilience
the ability to adapt successfully to even very difficult circumstances.
developmental systems approach
acknowledges that genetics influences neural activity, which in turn influences behaviour, which in turn influences the environment, but also that these influences are bidirectional
