Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

How Do mental health paraprofessionals form judgments about patients? The development of a patient evaluation scale

  • Articles
  • Published:
Community Mental Health Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Current trends in mental health imply increased use of mental health paraprofessionals in a variety of mental health settings. The present investigation was an attempt to explore the semantics of paraprofessional's judgments about patients. Psychiatric technicians in a public mental hospital were asked to make evaluative judgments about patients in their wards. In addition, they were asked to rate the patients on a 22-item scale concerned with specific behaviors or first-order inferences about behavior. The pattern of correlations as well as regression weights between evaluations and behavioral ratings were used to infer the “meanings”of the paraprofessionals evaluations of patients. Results indicated that most paraprofessionals tended to look for similar behaviors in making evaluations of patients. The semantic framework was simple and intelligible. Training uses of the research method were also discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Danzig, M. Education of the community mental health assistant: Dovetailing theory with practice.Mental Hygiene, 1970,54, 357–363.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Darlington, R. Multiple regression in psychological research.Psychological Bulletin, 1968,69, 161–182.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Davidoff, I., Lauga, A., & Walzer, R. The mental health rehabilitation worker: A new member of the psychiatric team.Community Mental Health Journal, 1969,5, 46–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Galland, J. Training army psychology technicians for intake and evaluation.Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 1971,22, 29–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garfield, S. New developments in the preparation of counselors.Community Mental Health Journal, 1969,5, 240–246.

    Google Scholar 

  • McFadden, C., & Reinehr, R. Using psychiatric technicians as psychological examiners.Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 1971,22, 41–42.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of California, 92502, Riverside, California

    Roy D. Goldman Ph.D.

  2. University of California at Riverside, USA

    Robert D. Singer Ph.D. (Professor of Psychology)

Authors
  1. Roy D. Goldman Ph.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Robert D. Singer Ph.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Research for the paper was supported by NIMH grant No. 09-T-000011-01-0 awarded to Patton State Hospital, Dr. Abraham Kovitz, Principal Investigator. The authors wish to thank the staff of the Patton State Hospital (Patton, California) Mentally Ill Offender Program for their outstanding cooperation. We also wish to thank Dr. Abraham Kovitz, Director of Education and Training, for his invaluable aid. The present study took place in the context of a larger training program at Patton focusing on the Mentally Ill Offender Program.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Goldman, R.D., Singer, R.D. How Do mental health paraprofessionals form judgments about patients? The development of a patient evaluation scale. Community Ment Health J 10, 319–331 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01410778

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01410778

Keywords

Search

Navigation