Countertransference feelings and the psychiatric staff's self-image

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychology
• Social Work

Background:

• Understanding the relationship between mental health professionals' self-perception and their patient interactions is crucial.
• Previous research has explored therapist self-image but less is known about its specific impact on feelings towards severely disturbed patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the associations between psychiatric staff's habitual feelings towards patients and their self-image.
• To explore gender differences in these associations.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 163 psychiatric staff across 22 treatment homes.
• Utilized a feeling checklist for patient interactions and Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB) for self-image assessment.
• Correlational analyses were performed over time and across patients, examining data for all staff and separately for males and females.

Main Results:

• Significant associations were found between staff feelings and self-image aspects.
• Positive feelings (helpful, autonomous) correlated with a positive mother image.
• Negative feelings (rejecting, unhelpful) linked to negative mother/father images and a protecting introject.
• Self-image explained a larger proportion of male staff's feelings than female staff's.
• Gender differences emerged: male staff's negative feelings associated with a critical father image, while female staff's linked to a freedom-giving father image.

Conclusions:

• Psychiatric staff's self-image significantly influences their feelings towards patients.
• Distinct gender-based patterns exist in the self-image-feeling relationship.
• These findings highlight the importance of considering staff self-perception in psychiatric care settings.