Do Sex, Sex-Role Orientation, and Exposure to Gender-Congruent Therapy Models Influence Receptivity to Psychotherapy?

Abstract

This study had two objectives. The first objective was to evaluate how well sex and sex-role orientation predicted receptivity to psychotherapy. The second objective was to evaluate whether exposure to gender-congruent therapy videos influenced participants' receptivity to psychotherapy. Participants were randomly assigned to three conditions: (1) exposure to a more masculine form of therapy, (2) exposure to a more feminine form of therapy, or (3) a control condition. Although both sex and sex-role orientation were significant predictors, sex-role orientation (femininity) emerged as the best predictor of attitudes toward psychotherapy. However, only participant sex (female) predicted willingness to refer oneself to therapy. Contrary to our expectations, neither sex nor femininity interacted with the experimental manipulations in influencing receptivity to psychotherapy. Implications of these findings for clinicians employed in university counseling centers are presented.