Family dysfunction

• What is family dysfunction?

  The process within a family such as poor family communication, cold parenting and high levels of expressed emotion. These may be risk factors for both the development and maintenance of schizophrenia
• What are the 3 family dysfunction explanations?

  The schizophrenogenic mother

  Double-bind theory

  Expressed emotion
• What is the schizophrenogenic mother?

  Fromm-Reichmann (1948)

  Schizopheniogenic= schizophrenia-causing

  The Schizo mother is cold, rejecting and controlling

  This creates tension and secrecy in the family

  This leads to distrust that develops into paranoid delusions and then schizophrenia
• What is double-bind theory?

  Bateson (1972) emphasised the role of communication style within a family

  Developing child finds themselves trapped in situations where they fear doing the wrong thing, but receive mixed messages about what this is= felling unable to comment on the unfairness of the situation or seek clarification when they get it 'wrong'

  The child is often punished by withdrawal of love

  This leaves the child feeling the world is confusing and dangerous- disorganised thinking and paranoid delusions
• What is expressed emotion?

  The level of emotion (particularly negative) expressed towards a person with schizophrenia by their carers/ family members

  there are several elements

  High levels of expressed emotion is a serious source of stress and causes relapse in schizophrenic patients

  it can also trigger onset of schizophrenia in a person who is already vulnerable
• What are the elements of expressed emotion?

  Verbal criticism of the person- occasionally accompanied by violence

  Hostility towards the person- including anger and rejection

  Emotional over involvement in the life of the person- including needless self-sacrifice
• AO3- Supporting evidence

  E- Read (2005) adults with schizophrenia are disproportionately likely to have insecure attachment, particularly Type C or D. And 69% of women and 59% of men with schizophrenia have a history of physical and/or sexual abuse. Morkved (2017) most adults with schizophrenia reported at least one childhood trauma, mostly abuse

  E/L- Strong evidence for a link between family dysfunction and vulnerability for schizo, adds validity to the explanation although not a direct cause it highlights the relationship between trauma and vulnerability
• AO3- Limited support for schizophrenic mother and double bind

  E- Almost no support for the importance of traditional family-based theories such as the schizophrenogenic mother and double dins, both these are based on clinical observation of people with schizophrenia and is also informat assessment of mothers' personalities, but not systematic evidence

  E/L- Limited explanation reducing validity of the importance of the 2 aspects as causes for schizophrenia, this means that family explanations haven't been able to account for the link between childhood trauma and schizophrenia
• AO3- Issue of socially sensitive research

  E- It can lead to parent blaming, mothers are particularly blamed to be blamed for their schizophrenia when they are already taking responsibility for their care and experiencing their symptoms is an insult.

  E/L- If this is the case we need scientific evidence to support the explanation, if this evidence exists then we need to put support in place to ensure the care and parenting style reduces any risk to the Childs developing schizophrenia. If there's no evidence we need to consider alternative explanations to get a full understanding