Family dysfunction

• Outline the family dysfunction explanation for schizophrenia.

  Schizophrenia is caused by living in a family where there is a lot of conflict, criticism and control.

  This can involve double-bind communication whereby the schizophrenic patient received contradictory messages from parents.

  This can result in the disorganised thinking and paranoia often seen in the positive symptom of delusions.
• Outline the family dysfunction explanation for schizophrenia.

  Schizophrenia can be caused by a schizophrenogenic mother who is cold, controlling and rejecting. Meanwhile, the father is often passive.

  This can result in tension and secrecy that later develops into paranoid delusions.

  High expressed emotion (overly critical and involved/concerned) can contribute to schizophrenia as it causes distress that increases the risk of relapse.
• Evaluate the family dysfunction explanation for schizophrenia: supporting evidence. 


  E.g. The majority of people diagnosed with schizophrenia report having a history of abuse in their childhood. This is likely to be accompanied by double-bind communication whereby during sexual abuse the child may have received affectionate comments but the opposite behaviour. This is a strength because it supports a link between negative family experiences and the development of schizophrenia.
• Evaluate the family dysfunction explanation for schizophrenia: contradictory evidence. 


  This is because not everyone living in a dysfunctional family goes on to develop schizophrenia. This is a limitation because it suggests that alternative theories such as the diathesis-stress model may be more appropriate. I.e. family dysfunction (the stressor) will only trigger schizophrenia in individuals who already have a vulnerability to developing the disorder (e.g. a genetic vulnerability).
• Evaluate the family dysfunction explanation for schizophrenia: difficult to establish cause and effect. 


  This is because family dysfunction may be the result of the patient’s symptoms rather than the cause. I.e. a relative having schizophrenia can create stress in the family that leads to a critical, controlling environment. This is a limitation because it would mean that any treatment developed out of this explanation may not address the root cause.
• Evaluate the family dysfunction explanation for schizophrenia: led to treatments for schizophrenia.

  E.g. it led to family therapy that aims to reduce the conflicting, criticising and controlling family environment. This is a strength because family therapy has been shown to reduce symptoms and relapse rates and, if the treatment developed out of

  the explanation is effective, the family dysfunction explanation itself must have merit.