The interactionist approach to schizophrenia

strength - support for the dual role of vulnerability & stress

• Tienari et al studied children adopted away from mothers diagnosed with schizo

• adoptive parenting styles were assessed and compared with control group of adoptees with no genetic risk

• a child-rearing style with high levels od criticism and conflict low levels of empathy war implicated but only if there was a genetic risk

  • showing a combination of genetic vulnerability and family stress increases risk

limitation - O.G. diathesis stress midel is oversimplistic

• schizophrenia is polygenetic and stress comes in many forms including family dysfunction

• researchers now believe stress is also biological

  • meaning that there are multiple factors affecting both diathesis and stress

strength - real world application

• Tarrier et al randomly allocated 315 PPTs to medication and CBT , medication and supportive counselling or control group

• PPTS in 2 combination groups showed lower symptoms levels than those in the control group

  • meaning that there is a clear practivle advantage to adopting both

strength - hollistic

• takes both biological and psychological factors into account

• in both diathesis and stress

  • meaning that it is a complete explantion that we can use to explain most cases of schizophrenia