Othering refugees - Psychotherapists' attitudes toward patients with and without a refugee background

TY - JOUR

T1 - Othering refugees - Psychotherapists' attitudes toward patients with and without a refugee background

AU - Dumke, Lars

AU - Neuner, Frank

PY - 2023/6

Y1 - 2023/6

N2 - Objective: A large proportion of refugees present with psychological disorders that require psychotherapy as first-line treatment. However, even in countries with well-established psychotherapy system, refugees continue to face barriers to care. Psychotherapists' attitudes toward refugees may also impede access to psychotherapy, as it is evident that stereotypes of health professionals contribute to health care disparities. However, little is known about psychotherapists' attitudes toward refugees. Methods: In a cross-sectional online study of N = 2002 outpatient psychotherapists in Germany (Mage = 54.48 years, 73.1% female), a vignette experiment was applied to examine differences in therapists' attitudes toward refugee patients from the Middle East and non-refugee patients. Subsequently, associations between attitudes and psychotherapists' characteristics (e.g., provision of treatment for refugees) were analyzed. Results: Results showed significant differences between therapists' attitudes toward refugee and non-refugee patients (ηp2 = .23), with more therapy-hindering attitudes toward refugee patients. Higher therapy-hindering attitudes were significantly associated with less frequent provision of psychotherapy for refugees. Conclusion: Our findings provide initial evidence that psychotherapists perceive refugee patients as deviant from the norm and that these divergent attitudes may relate to disparities in mental health care. To avoid such a process of othering, training for psychotherapists should question stereotypes toward refugees.

AB - Objective: A large proportion of refugees present with psychological disorders that require psychotherapy as first-line treatment. However, even in countries with well-established psychotherapy system, refugees continue to face barriers to care. Psychotherapists' attitudes toward refugees may also impede access to psychotherapy, as it is evident that stereotypes of health professionals contribute to health care disparities. However, little is known about psychotherapists' attitudes toward refugees. Methods: In a cross-sectional online study of N = 2002 outpatient psychotherapists in Germany (Mage = 54.48 years, 73.1% female), a vignette experiment was applied to examine differences in therapists' attitudes toward refugee patients from the Middle East and non-refugee patients. Subsequently, associations between attitudes and psychotherapists' characteristics (e.g., provision of treatment for refugees) were analyzed. Results: Results showed significant differences between therapists' attitudes toward refugee and non-refugee patients (ηp2 = .23), with more therapy-hindering attitudes toward refugee patients. Higher therapy-hindering attitudes were significantly associated with less frequent provision of psychotherapy for refugees. Conclusion: Our findings provide initial evidence that psychotherapists perceive refugee patients as deviant from the norm and that these divergent attitudes may relate to disparities in mental health care. To avoid such a process of othering, training for psychotherapists should question stereotypes toward refugees.

KW - Humans

KW - Female

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Male

KW - Psychotherapists

KW - Cross-Sectional Studies

KW - Psychotherapy/methods

KW - Attitude of Health Personnel

KW - Outpatients

U2 - 10.1080/10503307.2022.2150097

DO - 10.1080/10503307.2022.2150097

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

C2 - 36473168

VL - 33

SP - 654

EP - 668

JO - PSYCHOTHER RES

JF - PSYCHOTHER RES

SN - 1050-3307

IS - 5

ER -