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Differences between Two Studies of Hand Preference in Psychiatric Patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Pamela J. Taylor
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5
Rosemary Dalton
Affiliation:
Guy's Hospital Medical School, London Bridge, London SE1
J. J. Fleminger
Affiliation:
Guy's Hospital
W. A. Lishman
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry

Summary

Significant differences in handedness patterns between groups of psychiatric patients and normal controls were identified in two recent British studies, with substantial disagreement in some important findings. Most of the discrepancies were attributable to the different application of a simple classification of handedness data, and the remainder to differences in sample size. Diagnosis, sex and age were then found to have a similar effect on handedness in both studies. Neurotic patients were similar to controls regardless of classification, whereas mixed handedness in personality disorder depended on it. There was no overall excess of left-handedness among schizophrenics, but trends towards excess sinistrality in men and full dextrality in women approached significance.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1982 

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