Advantages of Being Female in Psychiatric Rehabilitation

Abstract

To determine whether preference shown to female patients was due to sex alone, demographic and psychiatric data were analyzed for 137 patients referred to a rehabilitation program conducted in cooperation with rural Missouri towns. The ratio of men to women referred to the program (1.0 to 1.6) differed significantly from the hospital population considered suitable for the program (1.1 to 1.0). Men and women compared showed no significant differences in age, length of hospitalization, or diagnosis, factors which favored acceptance in general. Experiences in placing patients in the foster communities indicate men are at a disadvantage because of expectations that they be employed. This reflects stereotyped sex-role expectations and it is suggested that further evaluation is needed to determine to what extent a patient's sex influences psychiatric care.