ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This study examined psychiatrists' contributions to racial and gender disparities in diagnosis and treatment among elderly persons. METHODS: Psychiatrists who volunteered to participate in the study were randomly assigned to one of four video vignettes depicting an elderly patient with late-life depression. The vignettes differed only in terms of the race of the actor portraying the patient (white or African American) and gender. The study participants were 329 psychiatrists who attended the 2002 annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association. RESULTS: Eighty-one percent of the psychiatrists assigned the elderly patient a diagnosis of major depression. Patients' race and gender was not associated with significant differences in the diagnoses of major depression, assessment of most patient characteristics, or recommendations for managing the disorder. However, psychiatrists' characteristics, particularly the location of the medical school at which the psychiatrist was trained (United States versus international), were significantly associated with a number of variables. CONCLUSIONS: Given standardized symptom pictures, psychiatrists are no less likely to diagnose or treat depression among African-American elderly patients than among other patients, which suggests that bias based simply on race is not a likely explanation for racial differences in diagnosis and treatments found in earlier clinical studies. The impact of psychiatrists' having trained at international medical schools on diagnosis, treatment, and judgment of several patient attributes may indicate the need for targeted educational initiatives for aging and cultural competency.
Subject(s)
Depressive Disorder, Major/ethnology , Ethnicity/psychology , Psychiatry , Stereotyping , Adult , Aged , Antidepressive Agents/administration & dosage , Black People/psychology , Depressive Disorder, Major/diagnosis , Depressive Disorder, Major/drug therapy , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Patient Simulation , Personality Assessment/statistics & numerical data , Psychometrics , Sex Factors , White People/psychologyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To examine primary care physician (PCP) contributions toward racial and sex differences in the diagnosis and treatment of late-life depression. DESIGN: Survey using a computerized instrument incorporating video interviews and text, with volunteer PCPs randomly assigned to one of four standardized video vignettes of an elderly patient depicting late-life depression. Vignettes differed only in the patient/actor's race (white/African-American) or sex. SETTING: American Academy of Family Physicians meeting, San Diego, California, 2002. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred seventy-eight U.S.-practicing postresidency PCPs who were asked to participate in a clinical decision-making study. MEASUREMENTS: The computerized survey instrument assessed PCPs' diagnoses, first-line treatment and management recommendations, and judgment of personal characteristics/behaviors for the patients in the vignettes. RESULTS: Eighty-five percent of all PCPs correctly diagnosed the elderly patient(s) with major depression. There were no significant differences in the diagnosis of depression, treatment recommendations, or PCP assessment of most patient characteristics by the race or sex of the patient/actor in the vignette, but PCP characteristics, most notably the location of medical school training (U.S. vs international), affected the likelihood of a depression diagnosis and treatment recommendations. CONCLUSION: Given standardized symptom-pictures, PCPs are just as likely to diagnose and treat depression in African-American as in white older people, suggesting that bias based simply on apparent patient race is not a likely explanation for the lower rates of depression diagnosis and treatment in older African Americans. PCPs who have trained at international medical schools may benefit from targeted training initiatives on the diagnosis and treatment of late-life depression.
