Sociocultural factors 10

• Sociocultural factors

  Life events

  Urbanicity

  Social isolation

  Ethnicity & discrimination
• Life events

  Stressful / traumatic life events have been suggested to trigger the onset of SZ.

  The reason for this is unknown but it has been linked to changes in NT levels in the brain.

  Brown & Birley found that approx 50% of people experienced a major life event in the 3 weeks prior to a SZ episode. 12% of people reported one in the 9 weeks prior to the episode.
• Urbanicity

  Humans are naturally hunter-gatherers. Urban living doesn’t suit this.

  This could explain the higher rates of MH disorders in urban compared to rural areas.

  Factors in urban areas that could lead to higher rates of SZ:

  Greater socioeconomic adversity.

  Pollution.

  Overcrowding.

  Drug abuse.

  Exposure to toxins.

  Lead to greater social stress.
• Social isolation

  Person does not gain feedback on inappropriate behaviours, causing them to grow unchallenged.

  SZ symptoms go unnoticed for a long period of time.
• Ethnicity & Discrimination

  Since the 1970s rates of diagnosis for Afro-Caribbean people were higher than expected.

  This group has higher rates of compulsory admission.

  Cannot be genetic as same result not observed in the Caribbean.

  Suggested that stress of migrating / integrating into a new culture could be the cause.

  But higher rates of SZ also observed in children of Afro-Caribbean migrants.

  Suggests discrimination is the cause.
• Faris & Dunham 1939

  Greater incidence of SZ reported when comparing densely populated inner city areas with less populated outskirts of the city.
• Strengths of sociocultural factors explanation

  Supporting evidence

  Successful applications (interventions)
• Weaknesses of sociocultural factors explanation

  Social isolation - causes SZ or SZ causes social isolation?

  Ignores nature influencers.