12.4.1 Family Dysfunction

• Family dysfunction often includes poor communication, conflict, and lack of support
• Family dysfunction can contribute to the development or worsening of schizophrenia.
• Match the characteristics with the type of family dysfunction:

  Poor or confusing communication ↔️ Dysfunctional family

  Open and clear communication ↔️ Healthy family
• High EE families are characterized by criticism, hostility, and over-involvement
• What is a defining characteristic of double bind families?

  Conflicting messages
• Neglectful families provide emotional support during mental health crises.

  False
• Poor communication in dysfunctional families includes unclear messages, avoidance of difficult topics, and lack of listening
• What is the impact of conflicting messages in dysfunctional families?

  Confusion and anxiety
• High EE is characterized by criticism, hostility, and over-involvement.
• Order the components of high EE and their impact on schizophrenia relapse:

  1️⃣ Criticism: Increases stress and guilt

  2️⃣ Hostility: Creates an unstable environment

  3️⃣ Over-involvement: Stifles independence
• How does criticism in high EE environments affect schizophrenia relapse?

  Increases stress and guilt
• Over-involvement in high EE families stifles independence and heightens relapse risks
• What does the term 'Expressed Emotion' refer to in the context of mental health disorders?

  Emotional expression and attitudes
• Criticism from family members increases stress and guilt, contributing to higher relapse
• Over-involvement by family members can stifle independence and self-management, heightening relapse risks.
• How does family dysfunction create an environment that fosters cognitive distortions?

  Poor communication and conflict
• A dysfunctional family characterized by poor communication and conflict often leads to negative thought patterns and cognitive distortions
• How might a high EE family environment lead to cognitive distortions in a child?

  Negative self-talk
• Longitudinal studies have demonstrated causality between EE levels and patient outcomes in schizophrenia.
• Which study found that schizophrenia patients in high EE families had significantly higher relapse rates?

  Brown et al. (1972)
• While family dysfunction contributes to relapse, it does not fully explain the development of schizophrenia
• What are the three main alternative explanations for schizophrenia besides family dysfunction?

  Biological, psychological, and social
• An interactionist approach combines biological, psychological, and social factors to understand schizophrenia's causes and development.