What is the difference between a unitary and multifactorial etiological model for anxiety disorders?

What is the difference between a unitary and multifactorial etiological model for anxiety disorders?

• A. A unitary model posits that all causes are genetic.
• B. A unitary model posits multiple interacting factors.
• C. A unitary model posits a single cause; a multifactorial model posits multiple interacting factors.
• D. Both models dismiss environmental influences.

Answer: (C)

The key idea is how many causes are thought to drive anxiety disorders and how they relate. A unitary etiological model suggests there is a single dominant cause that explains the disorder, implying one factor—such as a genetic predisposition or a specific brain abnormality—drives all cases. In contrast, a multifactorial model recognizes that multiple factors contribute and interact, including genetic vulnerability, brain function, temperament, life experiences, cognitive styles, and environmental stress. The risk emerges from how these factors come together and influence each other over time, rather than from one sole cause. That’s why the statement that a unitary model proposes a single cause while a multifactorial model proposes multiple interacting factors is the best description. The idea that the unitary model is purely genetic or that environmental influences are dismissed by both doesn't fit, since multifactorial frameworks explicitly include environmental and other factors and the unitary view is not universally limited to genetics.

The key idea is how many causes are thought to drive anxiety disorders and how they relate. A unitary etiological model suggests there is a single dominant cause that explains the disorder, implying one factor—such as a genetic predisposition or a specific brain abnormality—drives all cases. In contrast, a multifactorial model recognizes that multiple factors contribute and interact, including genetic vulnerability, brain function, temperament, life experiences, cognitive styles, and environmental stress. The risk emerges from how these factors come together and influence each other over time, rather than from one sole cause. That’s why the statement that a unitary model proposes a single cause while a multifactorial model proposes multiple interacting factors is the best description. The idea that the unitary model is purely genetic or that environmental influences are dismissed by both doesn't fit, since multifactorial frameworks explicitly include environmental and other factors and the unitary view is not universally limited to genetics.