Why one person become depressed, while the other does not,
even when they exposed to the same stressors? [1]. Furthermore, why one person
who has a genetic predisposition for OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) and
get through a normal life and never actually develops it, while the other may
suffer from some events and end up with OCD. Those situations can be explained
by diathesis-stress model. The common explanation for the phenomena is: in
order to develop some illness or disorders, you need to have an inherited risk
factor, but also environmental risk factor. That means, non-biological or
genetic traits (diathesis), interacts with environmental influences (stressors)
to produce disorders such as, depression, anxiety or schizophrenia [2].
Individuals vary in their responses to environmental
factors. Some individuals, due to their biological, temperamental and/or
behavioral characteristics are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of
negative experiences whereas others are relatively resilient with respect to
them (an adaptation of Bakermans-Kranenburg and Van IJzendoorn’s, 2007). Thus,
it can be understand that, both nature and nurture can have a significant
effect on the emergence of the illness or the disorder. These traits make
individuals more susceptible to environmental influences.
Afterwards the prevailing ideas of diathesis-stress model,
some researchers such as, Jay Belsky and Michael Pluess, indicated that
vulnerability might be more accurately though as plasticity and they come up
with the hypothesis of “differential susceptibility”. It has been branched from
diathesis-stress model and constructed upon it. Plasticity generally means,
being susceptible to positive environmental factors as well as negative
environmental factors and stressors. A person could have a biological
vulnerability that when combined with a stressor could lead to psychopathology
(diathesis – stress model); but that same person with a biological
vulnerability, if exposed to a particularly positive environment, could have
better outcomes than a person without the vulnerability [3]. Being more
sensitive to favorable environmental factors helps individuals more likely to
develop beneficial psychological characteristics.
Many researches have shown that, parenting, child-care
quality, life events, rural- versus-urban residence, and even birth season are
related to the differential susceptibility theory [3]. Children who have
difficult temperament, insecure attachment, childhood adversity, childhood
maltreatment or abuse are much more likely to show externalizing and
internalizing problems, such as, depression, nonsocial activity, anxiety and
criminal behaviors. Therefore, intervention programs are essential for
vulnerable individuals, in order to make them benefit more from the positive
outcomes of the favorable circumstances. Protective factors can mitigate or
provide a buffer against the effects of major stressors by providing an
individual with developmentally adaptive outlets to deal with stress [4].
Examples of protective factors include a positive parent-child attachment
relationship, a supportive peer network, and individual social and emotional
competence [4].
Development is shaped by both biology and experience
coactively to promote specific abilities over others. Therefore,
diathesis-stress model is a plausible theory, specifically for studying the
development of psychopathology. However, although a number of studies have
supported the idea of differential susceptibility, it has still some patterns
that are not clear as much as the diathesis-stress model. Many researchers
wonder, whether it comes mostly from nature or nurture. Though, it is
optimistic to think that individuals who are vulnerable to adverse effects of
environment are also more sensitive to the positive circumstances.
References:
[1] Sigelman, C. K. & Rider, E. A. (2009). Developmental
psychopathology. Life-span human development (6th ed.) (pp.
468-495). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
[2] Prevention Action, Diathesis-stress
models Retrieved from http://www.preventionaction.org/reference/diathesis-stress-models
[3] Belsky, J. & Pluess, M. (2009). "Beyond diathesis stress:
Differential susceptibility to environmental influences." Psychological
Bulletin 2009, (Vol:135, No:6) 885-908.
[4] Administration for Children and Families
(2012). Preventing child maltreatment and promoting well-being: A network
for action. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from
http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/guide2012/guide.pdf#page=9
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