title: National attitudes towards mental health treatment: the importance of research evidence.
abstract: Most conceptualizations of evidence-based practice view it as a "three legged stool" consisting of: the use of best available research evidence, clinical expertise, and client preferences. Although empirical evidence and clinical expertise have received greater empirical attention, relatively little research has systematically explored client preferences. The present study analyzed self-reported treatment preferences for various clinical and non-clinical presentations. Adult participants (n = 1262) residing in the United States were presented with diagnostic vignettes and rated their relative preferences among 5 treatment variables, including: use of an empirically supported treatment (EST), quality of the client-therapist relationship, therapist empathy, therapist experience, and client speaking for the majority of therapy sessions. Results indicated that participants endorsed significant preference for receiving an EST over other treatment variables for all clinical disorders, with effect sizes ranging from small to large depending on the diagnosis. There was slightly greater variability in treatment preferences for non-clinical issues, though participants generally reported greater preference for receiving an EST. Follow-up questions provided further evidence for EST preferences. The implications of these results are discussed.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology and Neuroscience , University of Colorado Boulder , Boulder , CO , USA.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kirk
authors.affiliation: b Department of Psychology , Appalachian State University , Boone , NC , USA.
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Broman-Fulks
authors.affiliation: b Department of Psychology , Appalachian State University , Boone , NC , USA.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bergquist
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D004645:Empathy; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011613:Psychotherapy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Evidence-based practice; client preferences; empirically supported treatment; mental health; psychological treatment