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Adoptees at high genetic risk for schizophrenia developed the disorder far more often when raised in a disturbed family environment than in a healthy one. Which model does that finding support?
AThe diathesis-stress model
BThe harmful dysfunction model
CThe supernatural perspective
DThe hopelessness theory
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. The diathesis-stress model
1. Adoption studies separate children from their biological parents early, which strips out shared family environment.
2. In one study of 303 adoptees, 36.8% of those at high genetic risk raised in a disturbed family environment developed schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder.
3. Only 5.8% of high-risk adoptees raised in a healthy environment did so, and the low-risk groups sat at 5.3% and 4.8%.
4. High risk therefore expressed itself mainly when adverse environment was added, which is precisely the diathesis-stress pattern.
5. Harmful dysfunction is a definition of disorder rather than a causal model, and hopelessness theory concerns depression, so neither fits.
6. The supernatural perspective offers no account of genes or family environment at all.
_Source: OpenStax Psychology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 15 "Psychological Disorders", section 15.8 Schizophrenia_
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