Effect of diagnosis on countertransferential responses to child psychotherapy patients.
Examined the impact of patient diagnosis on countertransferential responses to hypothetical latency-aged child psychotherapy patients meeting criteria for Dysthymia, Conduct, and Borderline Disorders. Three subtypes of countertransference (CT) were measured: positive (e.g., nurturant feelings), negative (e.g., boredom), and CT-related activity (e.g., tendency to refer patient to another therapist). All three subtypes were found to vary significantly as a function of diagnosis. Of the three diagnostic groups, Dysthymic patients elicited the highest degree of positive CT; Conduct Disorder patients, the highest degree of negative CT; and Borderline patients, the highest degree of CT-related activity. Neither patient and therapist gender nor therapist experience was significantly related to any of the CT scores; however, therapist psychological distress was found to be significantly associated with negative CT and CT-related activity for all three diagnoses.
Shachner
S E
SE
Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
Farber
B A
BA
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D003379:Countertransference; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019263:Dysthymic Disorder / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D011364:Professional Practice; D012494:Sampling Studies