The effect of therapist-client personality difference upon treatment outcome in a psychiatric setting

Abstract

This study examines the influence of therapist-client personality difference upon treatment outcome. This research was conducted at a community mental health center over a six and one half month period in which personality difference was evaluated for twenty-four clients and five therapists. Clients were identified at random from the client population seeking outpatient mental health services. Therapists volunteered for the study. Clients and therapists were given the 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire to assess personality difference. Clients were given the Symptom Check List-90-Revised as a pretest-posttest measure to ascertain their diagnostic symptoms. A Client Satisfaction Survey (CAS) was administered at the end of the treatment experience to assess the client's evaluation of treatment. Pearson's product moment correlation coefficient was used as a primary statistical method. Sixteen statistical tests were run assessing the relationship between therapist-client personality difference and treatment outcome. Additional issues considered in this study were length of time in treatment, improvement rates in treatment, and diagnostic categories. No significant correlations were found between therapist-client personality difference and treatment outcome. Not one of the sixteen tests indicated a significant correlation at the 0.5 level of significance. However, themes in the data suggest that clients found their interaction with therapists to be very helpful regardless of the level of clinical improvement they recorded.