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The relationship between responsibility attribution and session outcomes: Two-dimension attribution and two-person
Lizu Lai1,2, Qiwu Sun1,2, Wenzhen Zhu1,2
1School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, and Key Laboratory of Human Development and Mental Health of Hubei Province, Wuhan, China.
Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy
|June 20, 2022
Summary
Client solution responsibility and therapist-client agreement on blame for problems improve psychotherapy outcomes. Greater client perceived responsibility for solutions leads to better session quality and symptom reduction.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Psychotherapy Research
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Responsibility attribution in psychotherapy involves blame attribution (cause) and solution attribution (control).
- Understanding these dimensions and their congruence is crucial for effective therapeutic outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of blame and solution attribution on psychotherapy session outcomes from client and therapist viewpoints.
- To examine the relationship between therapist-client congruence in responsibility attribution and session outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized multilevel regression analysis on data from 69 clients across 387 sessions at a university counselling centre.
- Employed truth and bias model and response surface analysis to assess within-client and between-client congruence effects.
Main Results:
- Client solution responsibility positively correlated with symptom improvement and session quality.
- Therapist-attributed solution responsibility to clients predicted higher session quality.
- Client-therapist congruence on blame attribution positively influenced session outcomes.
- Client blame attribution moderated the association between solution responsibility and symptom reduction.
Conclusions:
- Client's perceived solution responsibility is a significant predictor of positive session outcomes.
- Therapist-client congruence in attributing blame for problem causes enhances therapeutic effectiveness.
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