African American adolescent males and conduct disorder: An examination of diagnosis and racial bias

This study was an investigation into the relationship between patterns of diagnosis and therapists' racial biases. The researcher sought to determine whether therapists give African American adolescent males diagnoses of conduct disorder more frequently than their Caucasian adolescent male clients who display similar symptomotology. The body of literature indicates that therapists' diagnoses of clients are significantly affected by racial biases (McKenzie, 1999). Additionally, much of the research in this area supports the notion that African American males are given more stigmatizing diagnoses, as well as higher doses of medication and riskier treatment practices like electro-convulsive therapy (Bhugra & Bhui, 1999a).;To investigate these issues, a quantitative study was carried out to determine support for following three hypotheses: (H1) Black adolescent boys will be diagnosed with conduct disorder (CD) more frequently than white adolescent boys presenting with the same symptoms; (H2) Licensed therapists will diagnose Black adolescent boys with CD more frequently than unlicensed therapists and more frequently than they would diagnose white adolescent boys with CD; and (H3) Therapists in rural areas would diagnose Black adolescent boys with CD more frequently than they will diagnose white adolescent boys with CD.;A national sample of 97 participants was analyzed. The primary hypothesis (Hypothesis 1) was not supported. Hypothesis 2 was supported and Hypothesis 3 was not supported. Significant results were found. Licensed therapists and urban therapists were found to diagnose Black adolescent boys with conduct disorder more frequently than they diagnosed white adolescent boys with conduct disorder. Additional trends in the data were identified, such as the tendency for white therapists to skip diagnosing Black and white adolescent boys more frequently than all other therapists. This trend as well as others are explored, and treatment implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research are addressed.