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Cross‐cultural differences in demented geropsychiatric inpatients with behavioral disturbances
Author(s) -
Akpaffiong Macjohn,
Kunik Mark E.,
Hale Danielle,
Molinari Victor,
Orengo Claudia
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
international journal of geriatric psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.28
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1166
pISSN - 0885-6230
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1166(199910)14:10<845::aid-gps34>3.0.co;2-h
Subject(s) - brief psychiatric rating scale , dementia , rating scale , psychiatry , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , psychology , depression (economics) , geriatric psychiatry , ethnic group , clinical psychology , hamilton rating scale for depression , positive and negative syndrome scale , psychosis , medicine , cognition , major depressive disorder , developmental psychology , disease , sociology , anthropology , economics , macroeconomics
Objective Cross‐cultural differences in treatment and diagnosis exist in several psychiatric disorders. This study examines phenomenological and treatment differences between Caucasian and African‐American patients presenting to a geropsychiatric unit for treatment of behavioral disturbances associated with dementia. Methods One hundred and forty‐one Caucasian patients were compared to 56 African‐American patients consecutively admitted to a VA geropsychiatric inpatient unit. At admission, differences in behavior disturbances between the two groups were examined using the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE), Cohen‐Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM‐D), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale for Schizophrenia (PANSS). Differences in treatment were assessed by comparing medication types and doses between the two groups. Results and Conclusion Results showed that Caucasian and African‐American patients with dementia and behavioral disturbances presented and responded similarly to like treatment on an inpatient geropsychiatric unit. The similarity between the two groups may be explained by the multi‐ethnic make‐up of the interdisciplinary treatment team and by the use of standardized scales to measure symptomatology and response. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.