Influence of social class perceptions on attributions among mental health practitioners

• Published in: Psychotherapy research 2014, Vol.24 (6), p.640-650
• Main Authors: Thompson, Mindi, Diestelmann, Jacob, Cole, Odessa, Keller, Abiola, Minami, Takuya
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; clinical impressions; Female; Humans; Male; Mental health; Middle Aged; Professional-Patient Relations; Psychotherapy - standards; Social Class; social class attributions; Social classes; Social Perception; vignette-based experimental design; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1050-3307; 1468-4381
• DOI: 10.1080/10503307.2013.873556

Objective: A vignette-based study assessed the influence of social class attributions toward a hypothetical client's difficulty. Method: 188 licensed mental health professionals who were recruited through professional listservs completed an online survey after reviewing one of two versions of a vignette describing a hypothetical client that varied based on social class cues. Results: As expected, this sample of licensed mental health practitioners detected social class differences based on the descriptors of the hypothetical client across the two vignettes. These perceived social class differences, however, did not impact participants' attributions toward the client for causing or solving her problems, level of Global Assessment of Functioning score ascribed to the client, or willingness to work with the client. Conclusions: There was no evidence that participants differentially ascribed attributions based on social class. Implications and directions for future research are provided.