SPA 2023 - Cultural Mistrust and Psychological Assessment-A Nuanced Look at Paranoia Scores 1.5 CEs

Abstract

The reluctance of Black parents to disclose information to psychological treatment providers is often interpreted as dishonesty, lack of trustworthiness, or an attempt to hide egregious wrongdoing. On psychological assessment measures, such reluctance is captured as guardedness, impression management, defensiveness, grandiosity, and paranoia. Interpreting such scale elevations as an indictment of moral character or evidence of wrongdoing inflicts further harm on the Black community. In this case discussion, we will explore the roots of cultural mistrust. We will focus specifically on how healthy cultural wariness presents on psychological tests, and we will address the social justice imperative to situate these test scores in context when interpreting test results and writing assessment reports utilizing a selection of cases.

Chair

Jennifer Laney | Private Practice 

Goals & Objectives

1. Participants will be able to discuss the ways in which experiences of intergenerational trauma and systemic oppression can influence Black clients' approach to psychological test measures.
2. Participants will be able to articulate alternative explanations for elevations on scales measuring paranoia through the lens of cultural mistrust.