Social Explanations
Sociocultural Factors
Urbanicity
- Humans did not evolve to live in densely populated urban areas,
and since 1939 research has shown that there is a higher
prevalence of schizophrenia in urban areas than rural areas.
- Faris and Dunham (1939): reported a greater incidence of the
disorder when comparing the densely populated inner-city areas of
Chicago with the outskirts.
- The reason for higher rates of schizophrenia in urban areas is likely
due to specific environmental features of urban life.
- Krabbendam and van Os (2005): factors such as greater
socioeconomic adversity, exposure to toxins, drug abuse, pollution
and overcrowding could all contribute to the increase in incidences
of schizophrenia.
- Herman et al (2006): the stress of an unwanted pregnancy leads to
an increased risk of the child growing up to have schizophrenia.
Unwanted pregnancies are often results of education and poverty
which are linked with urbanicity.
- It’s likely that the stress of living in an urban environment could be
a major factor in schizophrenia, and because the UN estimate that
by 2050, 66% of the population will live in an urban environment,
so the exact mechanisms of urbanicity need to be carefully
examined.
- There is a growing body of evidence demonstrating that severe
psychoses are caused by the repetitive onslaught of emotionally
negative, yet demanding phenomenological experiences, both in
the social and physical environment.
- There are more physical stimuli in urban environments, and since it
is thought that schizophrenics suffer from aberrant salience
attribution (interpreting things erroneously or irrationally), this
could be a trigger for symptoms.
- Every part of the urban environment is designed to assert some
meaning, whereas in rural areas stimuli are more often natural and
not part of some designed order, thus reducing saliency.
- Delusions may be worsened by the fact that in cities, people feel
they have less privacy, are unsafe and may struggle to sleep.
Social Isolation
Sociocultural Factors
Urbanicity
- Humans did not evolve to live in densely populated urban areas,
and since 1939 research has shown that there is a higher
prevalence of schizophrenia in urban areas than rural areas.
- Faris and Dunham (1939): reported a greater incidence of the
disorder when comparing the densely populated inner-city areas of
Chicago with the outskirts.
- The reason for higher rates of schizophrenia in urban areas is likely
due to specific environmental features of urban life.
- Krabbendam and van Os (2005): factors such as greater
socioeconomic adversity, exposure to toxins, drug abuse, pollution
and overcrowding could all contribute to the increase in incidences
of schizophrenia.
- Herman et al (2006): the stress of an unwanted pregnancy leads to
an increased risk of the child growing up to have schizophrenia.
Unwanted pregnancies are often results of education and poverty
which are linked with urbanicity.
- It’s likely that the stress of living in an urban environment could be
a major factor in schizophrenia, and because the UN estimate that
by 2050, 66% of the population will live in an urban environment,
so the exact mechanisms of urbanicity need to be carefully
examined.
- There is a growing body of evidence demonstrating that severe
psychoses are caused by the repetitive onslaught of emotionally
negative, yet demanding phenomenological experiences, both in
the social and physical environment.
- There are more physical stimuli in urban environments, and since it
is thought that schizophrenics suffer from aberrant salience
attribution (interpreting things erroneously or irrationally), this
could be a trigger for symptoms.
- Every part of the urban environment is designed to assert some
meaning, whereas in rural areas stimuli are more often natural and
not part of some designed order, thus reducing saliency.
- Delusions may be worsened by the fact that in cities, people feel
they have less privacy, are unsafe and may struggle to sleep.
Social Isolation
