ALCOHOLISM AND THE MINORITY TEEN: PROBLEMS IN DIAGNOSIS

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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.