Question

More direct evidence for the viral theory of schizophrenia comes from studies showing that mothers of people with schizophrenia were more likely to have been exposed to the virus during pregnancy than were mothers of people without schizophrenia.

a) True
b) False

Answer 1

True, there is evidence to suggest maternal exposure to a virus during pregnancy is linked to increased risk of schizophrenia in offspring, supporting the viral theory of schizophrenia.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement that studies showing mothers of individuals with schizophrenia were more likely to have been exposed to a virus during pregnancy is true. This relates to the viral theory of schizophrenia which suggests that maternal viral infections can increase the risk of schizophrenia in offspring. Empirical evidence supporting this theory includes a study published in 2004 by Brown et al. in the Archives of General Psychiatry, which provided serological evidence of prenatal influenza exposure being potentially involved in the etiology of schizophrenia. Notably, this finding, while significant, is one piece of a larger puzzle. Schizophrenia's development is associated with a combination of genetic susceptibility and environmental factors, as shown by the varying incidence of schizophrenia in adoptees with different genetic risks (high/low) and environmental backgrounds (disturbed/healthy) from the study by Tienari et al.