dysfunctional families

• intro

  exp = focusses on how SZ - result of social pressures from life + interactions between people (especially in family)
• EXPRESSED EMOTION environment - Brown (1959)

  • adverse home environments with high levels of EE = negative + produce stress which exceeds sufferer's coping mechanisms > triggers SZ episode
• EXPRESSED EMOTION environment - Brown (1959)

  - high EE = -ve family communication style including :

  • critical comments - about behaviour
  • hostility - angry that they can't control their behaviour > rejection of sufferer > possible -ve symptoms of withdrawal
  • emotional over involvement - parent/carer blames themselves for sufferer's illness > severe sadness / over protective > discourage self reliance + encourages overdependence
  • lack of warmth and positive regard - may lead to flatness of effect
• EXPRESSED EMOTION environment - Brown (1959)

  - too much / high consistency = high EE family

  - lack of these = low EE family

  
  

  - e.g. of communications in high EE families may produce stress which exceeds coping mechanisms > therefore trigger episode

  - may struggle to cope if +ve emotions don't exist
• EXPRESSED EMOTION environment - Critical Comments

  -In study > counted during interviews, about child's behaviour, made in relation to symptoms - e.g. can't you do anything right
• EXPRESSED EMOTION environment - Hostility

  - aggressive comments / threats

  - angry that they can't control behaviour > rejection of sufferer

  - e.g. don't make me do something I'll regret
• EXPRESSED EMOTION environment - Emotional Over Involvement

  - parents blames themselves for illness + expresses it > severe sadness / pity towards child

  - extreme over protection

  - interfering with other family members affairs

  - e.g. go through childs phone
• EXPRESSED EMOTION environment - Lack Of Warmth

  - no support / appreciation

  - lack of positive regard
• EXPRESSED EMOTION environment - Research Evidence

  } Vaughn + Leff (1976)

  - interviewd 69 SZ for 18 months after leaving hospital

  - 53% from high EE families relapsed

  - 12% from low EE families relapsed
• DOUBLE BIND THEORY - Bateson et al (1956)

  - SZ could result from communication difficulties within family

  - children who receive contradictory messages from parents > more likely to later suffer from SZ
• DOUBLE BIND THEORY - Bateson et al (1956)

  } Double Bind Communication - parent communicates two opposing messages > one +ve and verbal & one -ve and non-verbal

  
  

  - children find it difficult to respond as one message invalidates the other > prevents coherent construction of reality

  - long term exposure to DBC > +ve symptoms - to escape contradictory messages
• DOUBLE BIND THEORY - Research Evidence

  } Berger (1965)

  - retrospective study with questionnaire of double bind statements

  - asked how frequently their mothers used them

  20 SZ = higher incidences - compared - 40 uni students in control

  > also compared to ppl with other disorders