The false consensus bias as applied to psychologically disturbed adolescents

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Adolescent Psychology
• Social Psychology

Background:

• The false consensus bias suggests people overestimate the prevalence of their own beliefs and behaviors.
• Previous research has established this bias in adults.
• Its application to psychologically disturbed adolescents, particularly concerning tragic events, remains less explored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the presence and nature of false consensus bias in psychologically disturbed adolescents.
• To compare perceptions of tragedy and psychological disturbance between adolescent outpatients and nonclinical peers.
• To examine how this bias influences views on child death and parental distress.

Main Methods:

• Adolescent outpatients (depressed/suicidal) and nonclinical adolescents read newspaper articles about a child's death (suicidal or viral illness).
• Participants rated the psychological disturbance of the child and parents, and the family's adjustment.
• Perceptions were compared between the clinical and nonclinical groups.

Main Results:

• Both groups viewed the suicidal child death more negatively than the viral illness death.
• Adolescent outpatients perceived both the child and parents as more psychologically disturbed than nonclients did.
• The false consensus effect was observed in perceptions of the child's disturbance but not in recommendations for family therapy.

Conclusions:

• False consensus bias appears to operate in depressed, suicidal adolescents when interpreting child death tragedies.
• Adolescent outpatients may hold negative views on the efficacy or appropriateness of therapy for bereaved individuals.
• Findings suggest a complex interplay between psychological distress, cognitive biases, and perceptions of tragedy in adolescents.