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Therapists' physiological activation and patient difficulty
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
|August 1, 1976
Summary
Therapist arousal and physiological activation increased during therapy sessions compared to rest periods. However, patient difficulty did not significantly alter therapist activation levels, suggesting other factors influence therapist responses.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
- Human Physiology
Background:
- Therapist responses to patient difficulty are crucial for effective treatment.
- Understanding physiological and behavioral activation in therapists is key to assessing treatment dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of patient interview difficulty on therapist arousal and physiological activation.
- To compare therapist responses during therapy sessions versus rest periods.
Main Methods:
- Eighteen experienced psychiatrists interviewed two patient simulators portraying easy and difficult roles.
- Therapist self-reported arousal (Nowlis Mood Adjective List) and physiological measures (electromyogram, heart rate, blood pressure, skin conductance) were recorded.
- Sessions included counterbalanced rest and therapy periods.
Main Results:
- Therapists exhibited significantly higher self-reported arousal and physiological activation during therapy compared to rest.
- The perceived difficulty of the patient simulator did not significantly affect therapist behavioral or physiological activation levels.
- Patient role difficulty was validated by therapists and independent raters.
Conclusions:
- Therapy sessions inherently increase therapist activation, regardless of patient difficulty.
- Further research is needed to explore factors influencing therapist activation beyond patient role difficulty.