This study examined the use of interventions of physical restraint by a staff of predominantly white therapists (N = 37) with psychiatric emergency room patients (N = 697) as a function of patients' race. Evidence of racial “bias” was found but not across all levels of severity of assessed psychopathology. This effect weakened after extended evaluation and treatment but did not disappear. The results question the value of the bias concept as a pervasive, cognitive set variable in its influence upon clinical judgment.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BamgboseO.EdwardsD.JohnsonS.The effects of race and social class on clinical judgment. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1980, 36, 605–609.
2.
DavisW. E.JonesM. H.Negro versus Caucasian psychological test performance revisited. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1974, 42, 675–679.
3.
DavisW. E.SeckS. J.RyanT. A.Race-related and educationally related MMPI profile differences among hospitalized schizophrenics. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1973, 29, 478–479.
4.
DregerR. M.MillerK. S.Comparative psychological studies of Negroes and whites in the United States. Psychological Bulletin, Monograph Supplement, 1968, 70 (3, pt. 2).
5.
GersonS. G.BassukE.Psychiatric emergencies: an overview. American Journal of Psychiatry, 1980, 137(1), 1–11.
6.
LewisD. O.BallaD. A.ShanokS. S.Some evidence of race bias in the diagnosis and treatment of the juvenile offender. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 1979, 49, 53–61.
7.
TelinteloS.The use of physical restraint in a psychiatric emergency room. Unpublished Master's thesis, Univer. of Cincinnati, 1981.
8.
WatkinsB. A.CowanM. C.DavisW. E.Differential diagnosis imbalance as a race-related phenomenon. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1975, 31, 267–268.
