Gender Bias and Clinical Judgment

Mental health professionals are continually asked to determine whether an individual is safe to reside in society without restraint. However, early research on the ability of mental health professionals to assess dangerousness has produced discouraging results. A clinician’s ability to process and recall clinical material may significantly be influenced by patient characteristics. Clinicians are not immune to gender biases, and research assessing such differences between male and female clinicians -- including how their attitudes toward women influence their clinical judgment-- have yielded mixed results. This dissertation will assess the impact of clinician attitudinal factors, specifically gender biases, on perceptions of dangerousness. Furthermore, this dissertation will also examine themes that emerge regarding gender bias, racial bias, and attitudes toward women within the assessment of dangerousness.