Supervisees’ Nondisclosure in South Korea and the United States: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of supervisee characteristics (rejection attachment), the supervisory relationship (supervisory working alliance, role conflict), and Asian cultural values on supervisee nondisclosure (clinically related and supervision related nondisclosures) for South Korean and U.S. American supervisees. Participants were 474 predominantly female supervisees in counseling and clinical psychology programs (227 South Korean, 247 U.S. American). Three major findings emerged: (a) the four predictors collectively predicted both types of supervisee nondisclosure jointly in both countries, (b) the supervisory working alliance predicted the two types of supervisee nondisclosure jointly in both countries, and (c) post hoc tests suggested that the supervisory working alliance mediated the relations of role conflict and rejection attachment with supervisee nondisclosure in both countries, and the relation of Asian cultural values with supervisee nondisclosure for South Korean supervisees. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.