Therapist's Gender and Gender Roles: Impact on Attitudes toward Clients in Substance Abuse Treatment.

Tytti Artkoski,Pekka Saarnio

doi:10.1155/2013/591521

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the impact of therapist's gender and gender roles on attitudes toward clients. Attitudes toward motivational interviewing were also a focus as MI can be hypothesized to be feminine rather than masculine in nature. The subjects (N = 246) were Finnish substance abuse therapists. Their attitudes toward clients were measured using a vignette task. Results indicated that female therapists were significantly more positive toward clients than were male therapists. Although females were significantly more feminine than males, they saw themselves as masculine as the males did. The more feminine the therapist was, the more s/he preferred MI. In the future, an examination of this kind should be combined with measurement of treatment processes and outcomes.

Highlights

E purpose of the present study was to investigate the impact of therapist’s gender and gender roles on attitudes toward clients
E effects of various treatments on outcome have been studied extensively both in psychotherapy and substance abuse treatment [1, 2]. e investigation of between-therapist variation in outcome has been infrequent, it has proved an important factor in both disciplines [3, 4]
In turn, is considered to be a modern gender role. It means that a person is both masculine and feminine; these traits are not mutually exclusive

Summary

Introduction

E effects of various treatments on outcome have been studied extensively both in psychotherapy and substance abuse treatment [1, 2]. e investigation of between-therapist variation in outcome has been infrequent, it has proved an important factor in both disciplines [3, 4]. E therapist’s own gender had no impact on the attitudes toward clients in the study by DeJong et al. By contrast, ndings on mental health professionals have indicated that males generate more stereotypical attitudes toward clients than do females [10, 11]. Ese ndings corroborate a study by Bernstein and Lecomte [12] reporting that psychotherapist’s gender is an important factor for attitudes toward clients, males being more stereotypical than females. A small study by Saarnio et al [13] showed that the clients of male therapists dropped out of inpatient substance abuse treatment signi cantly more frequently than did the clients of female therapists (20 versus 10%). Is explanation is supported by a recent Finnish study which found that female therapists in substance abuse treatment were signi cantly more empathetic and friendly toward clients than were their male colleagues [14]. (2) are there between-therapist differences due to gender or gender roles in attitudes toward clients?

Method

Results

Discussion