Interactionism

• What is the original interactionist approach to explaining schizophrenia?

  It acknowledges both biological and psychological factors in the development of schizophrenia.
• What biological factors are included in the interactionist approach to schizophrenia?

  Genetic vulnerability and neurochemical and neurological abnormality.
• What psychological factors are included in the interactionist approach to schizophrenia?

  Stress from life events and daily hassles, including poor quality family interactions.
• Who proposed the original diathesis-stress model?

  Meehl in 1962.
• In Meehl's original diathesis-stress model, what was the diathesis attributed to?

  It was entirely genetic, resulting from a single ‘schizogene’.
• What happens if a person does not have the ‘schizogene’ according to Meehl's model?

  No amount of stress would lead to schizophrenia.
• How does chronic stress affect carriers of the ‘schizogene’?

  It could result in the development of schizophrenia.
• What is the role of diathesis in the context of schizophrenia?

  It refers to biological vulnerability.
• What evidence supports the genetic component of vulnerability to schizophrenia?

  MZ twin studies and adoption studies.
• What does the discordance between MZ twins indicate?

  It demonstrates the influence of environmental factors.
• How does early trauma affect vulnerability to stress according to Read (2001)?

  It alters the developing brain, making a person more vulnerable to stress.
• What is the modern diathesis-stress model's view on stress?

  It includes environmental factors or ‘stressors’.
• What did Varese (2012) find regarding children who experienced trauma before age 16?

  They were 3x as likely to develop schizophrenia later in life.
• How does urban living affect the risk of developing schizophrenia according to Vassos et al (2012)?

  The risk is 2.4x higher than in rural environments.
• What role does cannabis play in the risk of developing schizophrenia?

  It increases the risk by 7x as THC interferes with dopamine production.
• Why do most people who smoke cannabis not develop schizophrenia?

  There must be other vulnerabilities present.
• How does the Interactionist Model approach treatment for schizophrenia?

  • Acknowledges both biological and psychological factors.
  • Compatible with both biological and psychological treatments.
  • Combines antipsychotics and psychological therapies.
• What is the treatment approach in Britain for schizophrenia according to the Interactionist Model?

  Combination of antipsychotic drugs and CBT.
• What is the treatment approach in the USA for schizophrenia?

  There is more conflict between psychological and biological models, leading to slower adoption of the interactionist approach.
• What are the strengths and limitations of the interactionist approach to schizophrenia?

  Strengths:

  • Supports the role of genetic vulnerability and environmental stress.
  • Evidence for effectiveness of combined treatments.

  
  

  Limitations:

  • Original diathesis-stress model is overly simplistic.
  • Incomplete understanding of how diathesis and stress work.
  • Treatment-causation fallacy undermines validity.
• What did Tienari et al. (2004) investigate regarding schizophrenia?

  Children adopted from Finnish mothers with schizophrenia and their child-rearing styles.
• What did Tienari et al. (2004) find about child-rearing styles?

  High levels of criticism and conflict were implicated in the development of schizophrenia for genetically vulnerable children.
• What is a limitation of the original diathesis-stress model?

  It is overly simplistic, as multiple genes and stressors contribute to vulnerability.
• What did Houston et al. (2008) find regarding vulnerability factors?

  Childhood sexual trauma emerged as a vulnerability factor while cannabis was a trigger.
• What do studies like Tarrier et al. (2004) show about combined treatments?

  They show lower symptom levels compared to medication only.
• What is the treatment-causation fallacy?

  It is the error of assuming that effective treatment indicates the cause of a condition.
• How does the treatment-causation fallacy affect the interactionist approach?

  It undermines the validity of the interactionist approach to explaining schizophrenia.
• What is the overall conclusion regarding the interactionist approach to schizophrenia?

  It highlights the importance of considering both biological and psychological factors in understanding and treating schizophrenia.