Socio-cultural factors

• Urbanicity

  • Higher prevalence of schizophrenia in urban areas
  • Faris and Dunham
  • Reported greater incidence of the disorder in densely populated inner cities of Chicago compared to the outskirts of the city
  • Likely due to the specific environmental features such as pollution, overcrowding, drug abuse and exposure to toxins
  • Van Os also noted that it may be due to greater socio-economic adversity for urban dwellers
• Ethnicity and discrimination

  • 1970's, a higher number than expected of people of afro-caribbean descent have been diagnosed with schizophrenia
  • Group more likely to be compulsary admitted to psychiatric hospital
  • Explanation cannot be genetic as increased risk is not apparant in the caribbean
  • Discrimination argument is further supported by the fact that higher rates of schizophrenia are also found in the children of afro-caribbean migrants in the UK
• Social isolation

  • Individuals with schizophrenia tend to report rather solitary backgrounds with fewer friends
• Social isolation - Faris

  • Suggests that this is because individuals with the disorder find it difficult to interact so they withdraw
  • Consequently limits the feedback they recieve about what is rational and ultimately they start behaving strangely
• Social isolation - Jones et al

  • Reported the findings of a longitudinal study of 5362 people born in March 1946
  • Childhood data was gathered prospectively
  • Ages 16-43 and 30 cases of schizophrenia diagnosed
  • Those diagnosed preferred solitary play at ages 4-6
  • At 13 rated themselves as less socially confident
  • Suggests isolation may be a cause rather than an effect of schizophrenia as it starts early