Diathesis–stress model

The diathesis - stress model ( vulnerability-stress model) is a paradigm of clinical psychology and health psychology, which is not set to a particular school and biological, psychological and environmental factors connects.

Under diathesis refers to the disposition of a particular disease. This disposition may, among other genetic ( biological diathesis) or learning history ( psychosocial diathesis) be and is understood as a human tendency to react in a certain way on impact. Among the stressors are understood stressful environmental events or situations. Are the loads ( disposition and stressors ) is too large and occur over a threshold, it comes to symptom formation or to the disease outbreak. This threshold is, however, by risk and protective factors ( eg, social support ).

It examines the interactions between diathesis and stress. Central is the assumption that are necessary for the development of failure both diathesis and stress.

Authors such as Zubin and Spring, Ciompi, Nuechterlein et al. took over the vulnerability-stress model to explain the multifactorial psycho- socio - biological development of schizophrenia. Accordingly, schizophrenia vulnerable people are characterized by a lack of resilience, ie a particular vulnerability and sensitivity ( " thin-skinned " ) that the association is unfavorable case with stressful life history, situational- social or physical and hormonal stress to the onset of psychosis.

Findings from the research

Studies on the diathesis - stress model were initially very contradictory, but now it is believed that a relationship exists between the diathesis - stress model and psychosis exists. So the influence of stress on the hypothalamic -pituitary- adrenal axis ( HPA ) was examined. The HPA is believed to be responsible for the regulation of neurotransmitter balance in the brain. A latter study demonstrated the facts of the diathesis -stress model.

Advantages and disadvantages of the model

Advantages:

• The diathesis - stress model is to describe complex and multifactorial causes in the situation
• The stressors may vary individually and intraviduell
• Within the model, different curves can be mapped

Cons:

• This model is far from being to provide a comprehensive justification
• There is no indication of the weighting of the factors taken
• Also missing the representation of how the individual factors interact with each other