ALCOHOLISM AND THE MINORITY TEEN: PROBLEMS IN DIAGNOSIS

本研究将探讨患者的种族和性别如何影响酒精依赖的初步临床评估。临床医生根据患者的性别和种族对患者进行评估时存在偏见，但很少有研究调查这种偏见的理论基础。少数族裔青少年是否被过度诊断为酗酒？这会导致治疗不当吗？白人青少年，包括女性，酗酒是否被过度诊断？通过研究临床医生的判断，本研究有可能减少偏倚。在这个实验的受试者之间的设计，参与者（医学生）将被随机分配到四个组。他们将阅读一个案例研究（刺激）或一个有酒精依赖症状的青少年，然后完成一份调查问卷。刺激将是相同的，除了种族和性别（操纵条件）。假设1：患者的种族和性别会影响诊断、预后和治疗决策。假设2：患者的种族和性别会影响临床医生对饮酒原因的归因、责任判断、情感反应和帮助意愿。2x2方差分析将分析种族和性别相关指标的差异。单独的单变量方差分析将确定哪些依赖措施受到操纵的显著影响。长期目标是通过研究刻板印象如何影响临床医生的决策和确定适当治疗的障碍来改善对酒精依赖青少年的治疗。

This study will investigate how patient race and gender influences initial clinical evaluations of alcohol dependency. Clinicians have been shown to be biased in their assessment of patients based on patient gender and race, but few studies have investigated the theoretical basis of this bias. Are minority teens over-diagnosed with alcoholism? Does this result in improper treatment? Are white teens, including females, with alcoholism over diagnosed? By studying clinician judgement, this study has the potential to reduce bias. In this experimental between-subjects design, participants (medical students) will be randomly assigned to four groups. They will read one case study (stimuli) or a teenager with symptoms of alcohol dependency and will then complete a questionnaire. The stimuli will be identical except for race and gender (the manipulated conditions). Hypothesis 1: Patient race and gender will affect diagnosis, prognosis, treatment-decisions. Hypothesis 2: Patient race and gender will influence clinician attributions about the cause of drinking, judgements of responsibility, affective responses, and desire to help. A 2x2 MANOVA will analyze differences on the dependent measures with respect to race and gender. Separate univariate analyses of variance will determine which dependent measures were significantly affected by the manipulation. The long term objectives are to improve the treatment of alcohol dependent adolescents by studying how stereotyping affects clinician decision-making and identifying barriers to appropriate treatment.