Cognitive mediators between patients' social class and therapists' evaluations

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Sociology
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Therapists exhibit bias, favoring middle-class patients over lower-class patients in psychotherapy acceptance and evaluations.
• A potential explanation involves lower-class patients' differing conceptualization of experiences, which may not align with traditional therapy models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate cognitive variables mediating the relationship between patient social class and therapist evaluations.
• Specifically examined verbal intelligence, psychological differentiation, and locus of control as potential mediators.

Main Methods:

• Therapists evaluated patients following their initial therapy session.
• Cognitive variables (verbal intelligence, psychological differentiation, locus of control) were assessed.
• Therapists' judgments regarding patient desire for structure and suitability for psychotherapy were recorded.

Main Results:

• Psychological differentiation significantly mediated therapists' judgments of patient desire for structure and suitability for psychotherapy.
• A locus of control orientation emphasizing chance also mediated therapists' judgments of patient suitability.
• Verbal intelligence did not emerge as a significant mediator in this study.

Conclusions:

• Cognitive factors, particularly psychological differentiation and locus of control, play a crucial role in therapists' differential evaluations of patients based on social class.
• These findings suggest that interventions aimed at addressing these cognitive mediators could help reduce social class bias in psychotherapy.
• Understanding these cognitive differences is essential for promoting equitable access to mental health services.