Interactionist approach.

• How does the diathesis stress model explain schizophrenia?

  It describes schizophrenia as the result of an interaction between biological (diathesis) and environmental (Stress) influences.
• Is the interactionist approach reductionist or holistic?

  Holistic because it looks at both the biological and psychological factors.
• Briefly explain what is meant by the terms diathesis and stress as they apply to schizophrenia:

  Diathesis is a biological vulnerability to schizophrenia e.g. influence of genetics. And stress is stressful life Events such as childhood trauma or living in a highly urbanised environment.
• give one criticism of the diathesis stress model:

  it is difficult to determine causal stress
• what are other diathesis‘s that increase the risk of developing schizophrenia? other than genetic factors

  • Exposure to the flu virus during gestation, which alters the development of the nervous system.
  • Birth complications, also alter the nervous system.
• What is an example of a stressful event that can trigger schizophrenia?

  -stresses associated with living in a highly urbanised area.

  -childhood trauma
• What is the addictive nature of diathesis and stress?

  Someone with very minor stressors may but with a high vulnerability may get schizophrenia. Someone with very high levels of stressors and a low biological vulnerability.
• What was the main focus of Tienari's study?

  Genetic factors and environmental risks
• What type of records did Tienari review for his study?

  Women’s hospital records of Finnish psychiatric hospitals
• What condition were the individuals diagnosed with in Tienari's study?

  Schizophrenic or paranoid psychosis
• What was the sample size of high-risk children in Tienari's study?

  145 high-risk children
• How many low-risk children were matched with high-risk children in the study?

  158 low-risk children
• At what ages were the children assessed in Tienari's study?

  12 and 21 years
• How many children developed schizophrenia during the study?

  14 children
• How many of the children who developed schizophrenia were from high-risk backgrounds?

  11 were from high-risk backgrounds
• What effect did being reared in a healthy family have on high-risk children?


  It had a protective effect
• AO3: diathesis may not be exclusively genetic:


  Most diathesis stress models emphasise vulnerability in terms of genetic influences alone. However increased risk can also be a result of brain damage caused by environmental factors. Verdoux estimated that the risk of Developing schizophrenia later in life for individuals who have experienced obstetric complications at birth if four times for likely than those who experience no complications.
• AO3: difficulties in determining the causal stress:

  Possible that stressors earlier on in life can also influence how people respond to later on stressful events and increase their future susceptibility to the disorder. Hammen argues that maladaptive methods of coping with stress in childhood and throughout development means that the individual fails to develop effective coping skills, which in tern compromise the resilience and increase vulnerability.
• AO3: limitations of the tienari study:

  The psychiatrists assessed family functioning only at one given point which fails to represent developmental changes in family functioning over time. This makes it impossible to determine how much stress observed is assigned to the family and how much is actually caused by the adoptees themselves.