The salience of sex role instructions to mental health professionals

This experiment was concerned with the question of how gender might affect clinical judgment. Mental health professionals (MHP) were asked to rate a protocol (varied for gender) describing a depressed pseudopatient who displayed stereotypically masculine behaviors. The major hypothesis was that, when subjects were aware that the experimental purpose was to measure how patient gender affected clinical ratings, they would suppress bias. If awareness were not present, then bias would be apparent in the ratings. The results failed to support this hypothesis. However, serendipitous results had meaningful relevance for the methodology of gender research. Data from subjects, given a credibility check to determine whether they had guessed the intent of the research, showed that aware subjects were more likely to make incorrect guesses about the study when they rated a male pseudopatient, whereas unaware subjects were more likely to make correct guesses when they rated a female pseudopatient. The interpretation of the data indicated that MHPs differed in their vigilance concerning women's issues. As a result, there may exist a woman's role within the context of psychological experimentation.Thanks to Drs. Tom Morgan, Ed Fischer, and John Turner for their help and support in statistical analyses.     

Relationship between job burnout and personal wellness in mental health professionals

This study aimed to determine the nature of the relationship between job burnout and personal wellness among mental health professionals. The authors performed intercorrelations and multivariate multiple regression analyses to identify the relationship between subscales of job burnout and personal wellness. Results showed that all subscales of job burnout, except for the Negative Work Environment subscale, significantly predicted a large amount of the variance in the collective personal wellness subscales. Implications for mental health professionals’ clinical practice, training, and supervision and limitations and prospects for future studies are discussed.     

Bias and expert testimony of mental health professionals in adversarial proceedings: A preliminary investigation

The role of mental health professionals testifying as expert witnesses has been the subject of increasing criticism. Cases in which opposing experts reach different conclusions are dismissed as “battles of the experts” and psychologists and psychiatrists are described as “hired guns.” This preliminary, analogue study examined the degree to which the opinions and testimony of mental health professionals may differ according to which side retains the expert. Results provided some support for the proposition that mental health professionals' testimony may vary according to the side by which they are retained.     

Migrant mental health: a model for indicators of mental health and health care consumption.

OBJECTIVE: This study explores the relationship between mental health and health care consumption among migrants in the Netherlands. DESIGN: Samples of the Turkish (n = 648), Moroccan (n = 102), and Surinamese (n = 311) populations in Amsterdam were examined. The study tested a hypothesized model of risk factors for psychiatric morbidity, indicators of well-being, and indicators of health care consumption. The model was specified on the basis of information from earlier research on the sample and literature on the topic. The model was tested and refined using structural equation modeling. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Psychiatric morbidity and well-being measures were assessed with the CIDI 1.1 and MOS-sf-36 subscales, respectively. Health care consumption was assessed by the question "Have you ever consulted one or more of these professionals or health care facilities with respect to mental health problems or problems related to alcohol or drugs usage?" RESULTS: The primary result of this study was the confirmation that health care consumption among migrants is predicted by need and predisposition factors, such as health condition and sociodemographic characteristics. In addition, mental health care consumption of migrants is predicted by acculturation characteristics. This result suggests an effect of cultural and migrant-specific factors in help-seeking behavior and barriers to mental health care facilities. CONCLUSIONS: Findings confirm the existence of migrant-specific mechanisms in health care consumption. Mental health care professionals should be aware of these. However, ignoring common ground for interventions unnecessarily creates distance between migrant groups and between migrant and indigenous Dutch groups.     

Feasibility of validating survey self-reports of mental health service use

Survey respondents may inaccurately report mental health service utilization for motivational and cognitive reasons. There is little evidence on accuracy of self-reports of mental health service use, and this evidence suggests that respondents tend to underreport inpatient utilization. This study addressed the question of self-report accuracy by comparing survey data from a large probability sample to data from computerized records of publicly funded mental health services. Few inaccuracies in self-reporting were detected. However, despite the use of data bases that were unusually appropriate for verifying self-reports, several problems limited the feasibility of validation. Suggestions are offered for increasing the feasibility of validation in future studies.     

The importance of cooperation among child health professionals and agencies in an inner city infant mental health service

The clientele of our Infant Mental Health Service mainly consists of unwed teenage mothers and babies beset by medical, social, and psychological complications. Efforts to help these families usually extend beyond the caregiver-infant dyad and may include working with grandmothers, pediatricians, and high-risk neonatology nurses, as well as outside social agencies and foster homes. Thus, cooperation among various disciplines, departments, and agencies'is indispensible in infant mental health practice. Problems and successes in building and maintaining such cooperation, its impact on clinical practice, staff work, administrative functioning, and therapeutic strategies are discussed. Clinical examples illustrate the nature of the cooperation.     

Promoting and protecting mental health as flourishing: a complementary strategy for improving national mental health

This article summarizes the conception and diagnosis of the mental health continuum, the findings supporting the two continua model of mental health and illness, and the benefits of flourishing to individuals and society. Completely mentally healthy adults--individuals free of a 12-month mental disorder and flourishing--reported the fewest missed days of work, the fewest half-day or greater work cutbacks, the healthiest psychosocial functioning (i.e., low helplessness, clear goals in life, high resilience, and high intimacy), the lowest risk of cardiovascular disease, the lowest number of chronic physical diseases with age, the fewest health limitations of activities of daily living, and lower health care utilization. However, the prevalence of flourishing is barely 20% in the adult population, indicating the need for a national program on mental health promotion to complement ongoing efforts to prevent and treat mental illness. Findings reveal a Black advantage in mental health as flourishing and no gender disparity in flourishing among Whites.