Abstract
Epidemiological studies of mental disorders have repeatedly shown higher rates of schizophrenia at the lower end of the socioeconomic continuum (Neugebauer et al. 1980). Two competing explanations of this consistent relationship — the social causation and social selection hypotheses — have been debated in the literature for some time (cf. Faris and Dunham 1939 vs. Myerson 1940; Kohn 1972 vs. Mechanic 1972). The social causation explanation is that lower SES involves exposure to socioenvironmental risk factors that may contribute to the development of schizophrenia (Dohrenwend and Dohrenwend 1969; Kohn 1972). In contrast, the social selection explanation states that the lower socioeconomic status of individuals with schizophrenia is a consequence of their disorder. According to this view, it is because of disabilities associated with the disorder or personality characteristics related to developing the disorder that individuals who become schizophrenic either fail to rise with the rest of their cohort or actually drop down the social ladder if they previously came from higher positions. In terms of etiology the social causation explanation suggests a prominent role for class-linked environmental risk factors, whereas the social selection explanation denies the importance of these factors, pointing instead to genetically inherited dispositions or early exposures that are class constant.KeywordsBlue CollarDownward MobilitySocial SelectionDiagnostic Interview ScheduleSocial CausationThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
Published Version
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