Studies of race differences in psychotic disorders frequently show greater severity among African Americans. An intraracial or cultural analysis of psychotic symptoms was conducted to better understand the racial disparities. Specifically, cultural/racial themes in the delusions and hallucinations of a sample of 156 African American psychiatric patients were examined via content analysis. Cultural/racial themes focusing on general racial issues and racism were identified in the delusions and hallucinations of these patients. The current findings also indicated that delusions were more prevalent and contain more cultural content than hallucinations. Implications for racial differences in psychotic symptom expression are discussed.
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