The effect of mother-intervener opinion divergence on mothers’ attitudes towards interveners

Abstract

Introduction Several researchers show that the quality of the relationship between therapist and client is related to a wide range of positive results. Aim The aim of this study was to analyze how the opinions of mothers and interveners about handling problems of adolescents influenced the mothers’ attitudes towards the interveners. Methods The methods involved the participation of mothers of adolescents receiving services at the Centre Jeunesse in the Quebec area. Attitudes were measured by a semantic differential and a question. The design included 2 experimental groups divided according to the order of application of the 2 treatments. The condition of convergence or divergence of opinions between a mother and an intervener was forced by an opinion given by the intervener. Results The results demonstrated that the convergence of opinions between mothers and interveners led to more positive attitudes towards the interveners than divergence of opinions. Conclusion This research was the first to be conducted in an applied setting and treatment was adapted to the most important problem that each mother had with her adolescent. Because the mother's opinions were related to her main problem, the attitudinal response elicited by the interveners’ opinion was strong.