Entry Title

Diathesis-stress Model

Authors and Affiliation

Anisa N. Goforth, Andy V. Pham, & John S. Carlson

Michigan State University

Synonyms

stress-vulnerability model; stress-diathesis model; gene-environment interaction

Short Definition

The diathesis-stress model describes a resulting interaction of genetic vulnerabilities and

environmental stress on a person’s physical and mental health.

Description

The diathesis-stress model describes how genetic or biological factors interact with
environmental stress which results in a disorder or condition. Specifically, this theory purports
that an individual’s biological vulnerabilities, or predispositions, to particular psychological
disorders can be triggered by stressful life events. If the individual is resilient or has low
biological vulnerability for a particular disorder, it would take extremely high levels of stress to
trigger symptoms of that disorder. On the other hand, if the individual has high biological
vulnerability to the disorder, then it would take lower levels of stress for symptoms to be
exhibited. Until this critical level of stress is reached, the individual will function normally, and
the biological vulnerability would not manifest. Therefore, this model helps to explain why
some, but not all, people exhibit psychological disorders, even though they may all experience
similar environmental stressors. In addition, there is a reciprocal relationship between stress and
the psychological disorder; life stress exacerbates the disorder, and in turn, the disorder makes
life more stressful.

Examples of biological factors that are often considered with this model include the person’s
genetic makeup, cognitions, personality, family history of psychological disorders, brain
abnormalities (e.g. birth complications, learning difficulties, traumatic brain injury), or
neurological problems. Environmental stress, on the other hand, can be characterized as acute or
chronic, which can include parental neglect or abuse, death of a family member or friend,
relationship/marriage difficulties, or witnessing a traumatic event. One stressful life event is
usually not enough to trigger a psychological disorder, but when negative events become more
chronic, a vulnerable person may develop the disorder.
Relevance to Childhood Development

Though the diathesis-stress model has been frequently used in the research literature to describe
anxiety, post-traumatic stress-disorder, and schizophrenia, there has been extensive research on
this model in explaining symptoms of childhood and adolescent depression. Current research
suggests that it is not genetics or environmental factors alone that contribute to the risk of
depression. Rather, it is more likely that the genetic component along with stressful
environmental factors leads to the higher likelihood of depression (Luby, Belden, & Spitznagel,
2006).

Biological risk factors for childhood depression include maternal depression, anxiety, coping
ability, and low self-perception. In particular, the child’s cognitive perceptions of a stressful
event can be considered a biological risk factor as they affect how a child views environmental
stressors either positively or negatively. Such biological vulnerabilities may interact with chronic
or acute environmental stressors. For example, a child may experience various stressors,
including maltreatment (Stuewig & McCloskey, 2005), parent conflict (Sheeber, Davis, Leve,
Hops, & Tildesley, 2007), and/or lack of peer friendships or peer bullying (Klomek, Marrocco,
Kleinman, Schonfeld, & Gould, 2007; Young, Berenson, Cohen, & Garcia, 2005). These
environmental stressors may thus trigger biological vulnerabilities, which would lead to the child
or adolescent to exhibit symptoms of depression. If two children are exposed to the same level of
environmental stress, a child who is not biologically vulnerable to depression would be less
likely to develop symptoms as compared to a child who is biologically vulnerable.

The diathesis-stress model has been utilized in the field of child development as a way to explain
why an individual may have a predisposition to a particular disorder. The interaction between
biological factors and environmental stressors varies significantly for each person, child or adult.
This model also allows practitioners and researchers to understand the etiology of mental health
disorders by considering the biological, psychological, and social domains of the individual.

References

Klomek, A. B., Marrocco, F., Kleinman, M., Schonfeld, I. S., & Gould, M. S. (2007). Bullying,
depression and suicidality. Child Adolescent Psychiatry, 46, 40-49.

Luby, J. L., Belden, A. C., & Spitznagel, E. (2006). Risk factors for preschool depression: The
mediating role of early stressful life events. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry,
47, 1292-1298.

Sheeber, L. B., Davis, B., Leve, C., Hops, H., & Tildesley, E. (2007). Adolescent's relationships
with their mothers and fathers: Associations with depressive disorder and subdiagnositve
symptomatology. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 116, 144-154.

Stuewig, J., & McCloskey, L. A. (2005). The relation of child maltreatment to shame and guilt
among adolescents: Psychological routes to depression and delinquency. Child
Maltreatment, 10, 324-336.
Young, J. F., Berenson, K., Cohen, P., & Garcia, J. (2005). The role of parent and peer support in
predicting adolescent depression: A longitudinal community study. Journal of Research
on Adolescence, 15, 407-423.