Race and gender differences in self-reported symptoms and social satisfaction: A study in Caucasian, African-American and Hispanic-American adult out-patients.

This study explored the relationship of racial and gender differences in self-reported symptoms, social adjustment and social satisfaction in 264 clients in an outpatient clinic. The instruments used in this study were the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-90 (HSCL-90), the Comprehensive Evaluation (CE), and the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS). The sample consisted of 186 Caucasians, 46 African-Americans and 32 Hispanic-Americans, of which 170 were female and 94 were male. The subjects were compared on nine subscales of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-90 (HSCL-90); somatization, intersensitivity, obsessive-compulsive, depression, anxiety, hostility, phobic, paranoia, and psychoticism scales. Overall, the results showed no statistical significant differences in self-reported symptoms as assessed by Hopkins Symptom Checklist-90 (HSCL-90) among the three racial/ethnic groups, Caucasian, African-American and Hispanics. However, findings indicated trends on 2 of the 9 subscales; somatization and phobic symptoms. African-Americans self-reported more phobic than Hispanics, followed by Caucasians (p<.10). Hispanics self-reported higher levels of somatization than Caucasians, followed by African-Americans. For the total sample, there were no statistical significant gender differences throughout the HSCL-90 self-report symptom scales. However, within the Caucasian sample, males reported significantly higher levels of obsessive compulsiveness than females. Also, Hispanic females indicated significantly higher levels of somatization than Hispanic males. Overall, there was no statistical significant difference in social satisfaction and social adjustment in males and females. There was no statistical significant difference in social satisfaction and social adjustment between the racial/ethnic groups.