Gender and age group differences in stereotypes about mental health care providers

Mental health care providers play a significant role in the prevention of mental health problems and promotion of well-being. The aim of the study was to explore gender and age group differences in stereotypes about helping professionals in the mental health care field. The data were derived from 338 Latvian-speaking adults aged 18 to 87. They rated stereotypic characteristics of five typical helping professionals (a family doctor, a psychologist, a psychiatrist, a clergyman, and an astrologer) on a sevenpoint Likert-type scale. The stereotype content model was used to measure warmth and competence stereotypes (Fiske, Xu, Cuddy, & Glick, 1999). Gender differences show that women rate a typical psychiatrist higher on warmth and four of five helping professionals higher on competence; the family doctor is an exception. Age group differences show that the older age group (aged 50 to 87) compared to the younger age group (aged 18 to 49) rate a psychiatrist and a psychologist lower on warmth and competence, but a family doctor - higher on competence. The findings are discussed in the terms of attitudes toward mental health care providers.