A Quantitative Content Analysis of  Person-First Language Use in Healthcare  Research, Healthcare Practice, and by  Support Groups for People with Disabilities

Maxwell Barnish

doi:10.4236/ojml.2014.44043

Home > Journals > Social Sciences & Humanities > OJML

OJML> Vol.4 No.4, October 2014

Share This Article:

Open Access

A Quantitative Content Analysis of Person-First Language Use in Healthcare Research, Healthcare Practice, and by Support Groups for People with Disabilities

Abstract Full-Text HTML XML

Download as PDF (Size:3199KB) PP. 505-511

DOI: 10.4236/ojml.2014.44043 3,539 Downloads 4,680 Views Citations

Author(s) Leave a comment

Maxwell Barnish

Affiliation(s)

Independent scholar, London, UK.

ABSTRACT

This article reports the results of an original quantitative linguistic study that investigated patterns of language use referring to people with disabilities in three data source types: written by support groups run for and by people with disabilities, healthcare researchers, and healthcare providers respectively. Quantitative content analysis was used to categorize the language use in a target sentence in each of the 9000 data sources in terms of whether it emphasized the person (person-first language) or the disability (non-person-first language) following published guidelines. Statistical analysis was conducted using appropriate logistic regression models. There was a significant increase in the use of person-first language in healthcare research articles over the time period 1994-2013, although it remained a minority usage. Use of person-first language was significantly higher in documents produced by support groups run by people with disabilities than in documents produced by healthcare researchers and practitioners. This suggests that healthcare researchers and providers may be more likely to refer to people with disabilities in terms that emphasize the disability rather than the person. Further research is required to confirm these patterns and investigate whether there is a disparity between the wishes of people with disabilities and the language behavior of healthcare researchers and practitioners.

KEYWORDS

Clinical Linguistics, Language Policy, Sociolinguistics, Quantitative Linguistics

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Cite this paper

Barnish, M. (2014) A Quantitative Content Analysis of Person-First Language Use in Healthcare Research, Healthcare Practice, and by Support Groups for People with Disabilities. Open Journal of Modern Linguistics, 4, 505-511. doi: 10.4236/ojml.2014.44043.

References

[1]	Abdi, H. (2007) The Bonferonni and Sidák Corrections for Multiple Comparisons. In N. J. Salkind (Ed.), Bureau Measurement and Statistics. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. http://www.utdallas.edu/~herve/Abdi-Bonferroni2007-pretty.pdf

[2]	Allen, J., Gay, B., Crebolder, H., Heyrman, J., Svab, I., et al. (2002). The European Definitions of the Key Features of the Discipline of General Practice: The Role of the GP and Core Competencies. British Journal of General Practice, 52, 526-527.

[3]	American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (Undated). American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Resource on Person-First Language. http://www.asha.org/publications/journals/submissions/person_first/

[4]	Ayto, J. (2001). Bloomsbury Dictionary of Word Origins. London: Bloomsbury.

[5]	Blaska, J. (1993). The Power of Language: Speak and Write using “Person First”. Perspectives on Disability, 1993, 25-32.

[6]	Boland, J. (1980). 1975-1980: Five Long Years or Five Short Years? Journal of Rehabilitation, 46, 40-41

[7]	Charles, C., Gafni, A, & Whelan, T. (1997). Shared Decision-Making in the Medical Encounter: What Does It Mean? (Or it Takes at Least Two to Tango). Social Science and Medicine, 44, 681-692.

[8]	Crystal, D. (1985). A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.

[9]	Field, A.P. (2006). Discovering Statistics Using SPSS (and Sex, Drugs and Rock’n’roll). London: Sage.

[10]	Go, M.J. (1984). Quantitative Content Analysis. In W.B. Gudykunst, & Y.Y. Kim (Eds.), Methods for Intercultural Communication Research (pp. 147-154). London: Sage.

[11]	Greene, W. H. (2011). Econometric Analysis. Harrow: Pearson Education.

[12]	Hadley, R. G., & Brodwin, M. G. (1988). Language about People with Disabilities. Journal of Counseling and Development, 67, 147-149. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.1988.tb02079.x

[13]	La Forge, J. (1991). Preferred Language Practice in Professional Rehabilitation Journals. Journal of Rehabilitation, 57, 49- 51.

[14]	National Library of Medicine (1996). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed

[15]	National Institute for Clinical Excellence. (2009). Depression in Adults: The Treatment and Management of Depression in Adults. http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/CG90

[16]	Office for Disability Issues (Undated). Language. http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130812104657/ http://odi.dwp.gov.uk/inclusive-communications/representation/language.php

[17]	Patel, S. R., & Bakken, S. (2010). Preferences for Participation in Decision Making among Ethnically Diverse Patients with Anxiety and Depression. Community Mental Health Journal, 46, 466-473. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10597-010-9323-3

[18]	Patterson, J. (1988). Disabling Language: Fact or Fiction? Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling, 19, 30-32.

[19]	Research and Training Center on Independent Living (2013). Guidelines: How to Write and Report about People with Disabilities. Lawrence, KS: Research and Training.

[20]	Riffe, D., Lacy, S., & Fico, F. G. (1998). Analyzing Media Messages: Using Quantitative Content Analysis in Research. London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

[21]	Spooner, A. (Ed.) (1998). Oxford Quick Reference Thesaurus. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

[22]	Abdi, H. (2007) The Bonferonni and Sidák Corrections for Multiple Comparisons. In N. J. Salkind (Ed.), Bureau Measurement and Statistics. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. http://www.utdallas.edu/~herve/Abdi-Bonferroni2007-pretty.pdf

[23]	Allen, J., Gay, B., Crebolder, H., Heyrman, J., Svab, I., et al. (2002). The European Definitions of the Key Features of the Discipline of General Practice: The Role of the GP and Core Competencies. British Journal of General Practice, 52, 526-527.

[24]	American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (Undated). American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Resource on Person-First Language. http://www.asha.org/publications/journals/submissions/person_first/

[25]	Ayto, J. (2001). Bloomsbury Dictionary of Word Origins. London: Bloomsbury.

[26]	Blaska, J. (1993). The Power of Language: Speak and Write using “Person First”. Perspectives on Disability, 1993, 25-32.

[27]	Boland, J. (1980). 1975-1980: Five Long Years or Five Short Years? Journal of Rehabilitation, 46, 40-41

[28]	Charles, C., Gafni, A, & Whelan, T. (1997). Shared Decision-Making in the Medical Encounter: What Does It Mean? (Or it Takes at Least Two to Tango). Social Science and Medicine, 44, 681-692.

[29]	Crystal, D. (1985). A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.

[30]	Field, A.P. (2006). Discovering Statistics Using SPSS (and Sex, Drugs and Rock’n’roll). London: Sage.

[31]	Go, M.J. (1984). Quantitative Content Analysis. In W.B. Gudykunst, & Y.Y. Kim (Eds.), Methods for Intercultural Communication Research (pp. 147-154). London: Sage.

[32]	Greene, W. H. (2011). Econometric Analysis. Harrow: Pearson Education.

[33]	Hadley, R. G., & Brodwin, M. G. (1988). Language about People with Disabilities. Journal of Counseling and Development, 67, 147-149. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.1988.tb02079.x

[34]	La Forge, J. (1991). Preferred Language Practice in Professional Rehabilitation Journals. Journal of Rehabilitation, 57, 49- 51.

[35]	National Library of Medicine (1996). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed

[36]	National Institute for Clinical Excellence. (2009). Depression in Adults: The Treatment and Management of Depression in Adults. http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/CG90

[37]	Office for Disability Issues (Undated). Language. http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130812104657/ http://odi.dwp.gov.uk/inclusive-communications/representation/language.php

[38]	Patel, S. R., & Bakken, S. (2010). Preferences for Participation in Decision Making among Ethnically Diverse Patients with Anxiety and Depression. Community Mental Health Journal, 46, 466-473. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10597-010-9323-3

[39]	Patterson, J. (1988). Disabling Language: Fact or Fiction? Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling, 19, 30-32.

[40]	Research and Training Center on Independent Living (2013). Guidelines: How to Write and Report about People with Disabilities. Lawrence, KS: Research and Training.

[41]	Riffe, D., Lacy, S., & Fico, F. G. (1998). Analyzing Media Messages: Using Quantitative Content Analysis in Research. London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

[42]	Spooner, A. (Ed.) (1998). Oxford Quick Reference Thesaurus. Oxford: Oxford University Press.