The Impact of Personal Biases and Assumptions
The Impact of Personal Biases and Assumptions
Introduction
In 2009, approximately 1,770 child fatalities in the United States were the result of child abuse and neglect (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2011).
When considering this statistic, you may assume that most cases of child abuse and neglect are committed by males. According to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, approximately 58% of perpetrators in child abuse and neglect cases are women, 42% are men (HHS, 2006). As a future professional in the field of psychology, personal biases may influence your assessment or diagnosis of abuse. It is important to understand how biases and assumptions might influence your ability to provide an accurate diagnosis, especially in cases of abuse and neglect.
ORDER NOW FOR CUSTOMIZED SOLUTION PAPERS
This week, you examine personal biases and how they may influence your ability to make an accurate assessment and diagnosis of abuse and neglect in clients. You also examine ways to address your personal bias. Additionally, you complete your Final Project, an assessment on a fictional client.
Reference:
Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2011). Child abuse and neglect fatalities 2009: Statistics and interventions. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau.. Retrieved from http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/fatality.pdf
Abuse and Client Diagnosis
Generally, abuse is a term used to describe harmful treatment toward a person. This term may include physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, exploitation, and neglect (OHA, 2012). Abuse may occur across the life span. Additionally, cases of abuse may not be unique to one particular race, gender, age, or economic class. As a result, the recognition of abuse might pose as challenging as the treatment. Psychologists may make assumptions about symptoms and patterns of abuse that may lead to errors in assessment and diagnosis.
For this Discussion, select a personal bias pertaining to the topic of abuse. As a future professional in the field, consider how personal biases may influence assessment and diagnosis.
Reference:
Oregon Health Authority (OHA). (2012). Definitions of abuse. Retrieved from http://www.oregon.gov/dhs/abuse/Pages/definitions.aspx
With these thoughts in mind:
Post by Day 4 a description of at least two personal biases you might have that may prevent you from accurately assessing and diagnosing cases of abuse and explain why. Finally, explain how you might address your personal bias to reduce errors in diagnosis. Justify your response with use of the Learning Resources and current literature.
READINGS
- American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing
- Other Conditions That May Be a Focus of Clinical Attention
- Blasko, K. A., Winek, J. L., & Bieschke, K. J. (2007). Therapists’ prototypical assessment of domestic violence situations. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 33(2), 258–269.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases. - Owens, G. P., & Chard, K. M. (2003). Comorbidity and psychiatric diagnoses among women reporting child sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 27(9), 1075–1082.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases. - Skowron, E. A., Kozlowski, J. M., & Pincus, A. L. (2010). Differentiation, self–other representations, and rupture–repair processes: Predicting child maltreatment risk. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 57(3), 304–316.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
- Cobia, D. C., Sobansky, R. R., & Ingram, M. (2004). Female survivors of childhood sexual abuse: Implications for couples’ therapists. The Family Journal, 12(3), 312–318.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases. - Porter, R. L., Wagner, W. G., Johnson, J. T., & Cox, L. M. (1996). Sexually abused girls’ verbalizations in counseling: An application of the client behavior system. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 43(4), 383–388.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases. - Sorsoli, L., Maryam, K., & Grossman, F. K. (2008). “I keep that hush-hush”: Male survivors of sexual abuse and the challenges of disclosure. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 55(3), 333–345.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases. - Willmon-Haque, S., & BigFoot, D. (2008). Violence and the effects of trauma on American Indian and Alaska Native populations. Journal of Emotional Abuse, 8(1/2), 51–66.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.