The stereotype-based physical characteristics of psychiatric patients were investigated to understand hospital staff perceptions of dangerous and voluntary patients. It was predicted that certain patient characteristics, such as race, sex, attractiveness, and muscularity, that are stereotypically associated with a predisposition towards violence would influence the causality and stability of staff attributions at the time of patient admission and release Hospital staff, employed in the psychiatric ward of a state-hospital, made attributions for the admission and release of 92 target patients. The target patient sample consisted of 55 patients involuntarily hospitalized for dangerousness and 37 patients who were voluntary admissions. Upon the admission and release of a target patient, two staff members selected for their familiarity with the case history of the patient, completed an attribution interview form. Staff selected three attributional statements, coded for their causality and stability by graduate research assistants, that they considered most relevant to the behavior leading to the admission and release of target patients As expected, patient legal status and stereotypic physical characteristics affected staff causal attributions. Staff attributions for the admission of target patients indicated that: (a) black males received more internal stable causes than white males and (b) less attractive black females and males regardless of their attractiveness received more internal stable causes than attractive black females. Upon patient release, the effect of stereotypic characteristics was supported among dangerous patients. Staff chose more internal stable reasons for the release of white males than for black males. Also, attractive patients received more internal release attributions than less attractive patients. The effect of patient legal status was contrary to predictions: (a) voluntary males received more internal stable admission attributions than dangerous males and (b) voluntary white males received more external temporary release attributions than dangerous white males The effect of stereotypes and patient legal status on staff causal attributions are discussed. Also, the limitations and implications of the present study, and suggestions for future research are presented / acase@tulane.edu
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TULANE/oai:http://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/:tulane_25282 |
| Date | January 1988 |
| Contributors | Kogut, Diane (Author), Sulzer, Jefferson L (Thesis advisor) |
| Publisher | Tulane University |
| Source Sets | Tulane University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Access requires a license to the Dissertations and Theses (ProQuest) database., Copyright is in accordance with U.S. Copyright law |
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