Abstract
Objective: To inform the debate on the relationship between gender and depression by examining clinicians’ ratings on selected HoNos items in two cultural groups.
Method: Scores on items 1 (overactivity/aggression) and 2 (depression) as recorded by clinicians in the CAOS study of more than 12,000 unselected New Zealand psychiatric service users were analysed by gender and self identified ethnicity.
Results: The lowest ratings for depression and highest for overactivity/agression were assigned to Maori males. Female Maori, were rated next, followed by male non-Maori. Female non-Maori were rated highest on depression and lowest on overactivity/agression.
Conclusions: Amongst the hypotheses to explain these findings are those relating to service utilization, rater bias, criteria bias, and cultural pathoplastic effects. These questions need answers.