Citation

Berman NC, Tung ES, Matheny N, Cohen IG, Wilhelm S. Death Stud. 2015; 40(5): 269-274.

Affiliation

a Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry , Boston , MA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/07481187.2015.1128498

PMID

26677913

Abstract

To ascertain how patient age influences suicide risk assessment, clinicians (N = 262) read an ambiguous vignette about Bill (aged either 39- or 79-years-old), and subsequently rated Bill's suicide risk and hospitalization needs. Suicide risk ratings varied greatly and young clinicians rated Bill's suicide risk and hospitalization needs higher when he was elderly (79-year-old); whereas, older clinicians rated Bill's suicide risk and need for hospitalization higher when he was younger (39-year-old). The interaction between patient and clinician age may reflect a "similarity" bias, such that clinicians perceive those who are different (i.e., younger or older) to be at elevated risk.

Language: en