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Sex Roles and Psychopathology pp 355–374Cite as

Sex Roles, Psychological Assessment, and Patient Management

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Abstract

The last 20 years have seen increased recognition (at least among social scientists, feminists, and feminist sympathizers) that sex roles can be restrictive and that gender considerations have exceeded their proper boundaries in many aspects of American life. These insights have been accompanied by increased scrutiny of the mental health professions for evidence of discrimination, exploitation, and oppression in the treatment of women. Two early landmarks in this effort are Chester’s (1972) book, Women and Madness, and the study of Broverman, Broverman, Clarkson, Rosenkrantz, and Vogel (1970) that claimed to provide the first empirical demonstration of a double standard of mental health among mental health professionals. The ensuing decade has witnessed a fair amount of empirical research aimed at determining both the nature of sex discrimination and sex role stereotyping and the extent to which they pervade the clinical practices of psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health professionals. The present chapter attempts to review the literature on gender differences in select aspects of psychiatric and psychological assessment (judgments of optimal mental health, severity of psychopathology, need for treatment, prognosis) and patient management (referrals, duration of treatment, prescription of medications). The effects of gender and sex roles on various diagnostic entities and on psychotherapy process and outcome are discussed elsewhere in this volume.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, 60612, USA

    Peter B. Zeldow

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  1. Peter B. Zeldow
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Indiana University, 302 Sycamore Hall, Bloomington, Indiana, 47405, USA

    Cathy Spatz Widom (Chairperson and Associate Professor of Forensic Studies, Associate Professor of Psychology) (Chairperson and Associate Professor of Forensic Studies, Associate Professor of Psychology)

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© 1984 Plenum Press, New York

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Zeldow, P.B. (1984). Sex Roles, Psychological Assessment, and Patient Management. In: Widom, C.S. (eds) Sex Roles and Psychopathology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-4562-6_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-4562-6_15

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-4564-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-4562-6

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