The role of psychotherapists' perceived barriers in providing psychotherapy to refugee patients

TY - JOUR

T1 - The role of psychotherapists' perceived barriers in providing psychotherapy to refugee patients

AU - Dumke, Lars

AU - Wilker, Sarah

AU - Kotterba, Anna

AU - Neuner, Frank

N1 - © 2023 The Authors. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Access to psychotherapy is critical to improving mental health, but only a small proportion of refugees receive treatment in the regular psychotherapeutic care system in high-income countries. In previous research, outpatient psychotherapists reported several barriers to more frequent treatment of refugee patients. However, it is unclear to what extent these perceived barriers contribute to the poor provision of services to refugees. In a survey of N = 2002 outpatient psychotherapists in Germany, we collected data on perceived treatment barriers and on the integration of refugees into regular psychotherapeutic practice. Half of the psychotherapists reported that they do not treat refugee patients. In addition, therapies provided for refugees were, on average, 20% shorter than for other patients. Regression analyses showed direct negative associations between psychotherapists' overall perception of barriers with the number of refugees treated and the number of sessions offered to refugee patients, even when controlling for sociodemographic and workload-related characteristics. Correlation analyses on the level of specific types of barriers further revealed that particularly language-related barriers and lack of contact with the refugee population are negatively correlated with the number of refugees treated and the number of sessions for refugees. Our findings indicate that the integration of refugees into regular psychotherapeutic care could be improved by measures to connect psychotherapists with refugee patients as well as professional interpreters and to ensure coverage of costs for therapy, interpreters and related administrative tasks.

AB - Access to psychotherapy is critical to improving mental health, but only a small proportion of refugees receive treatment in the regular psychotherapeutic care system in high-income countries. In previous research, outpatient psychotherapists reported several barriers to more frequent treatment of refugee patients. However, it is unclear to what extent these perceived barriers contribute to the poor provision of services to refugees. In a survey of N = 2002 outpatient psychotherapists in Germany, we collected data on perceived treatment barriers and on the integration of refugees into regular psychotherapeutic practice. Half of the psychotherapists reported that they do not treat refugee patients. In addition, therapies provided for refugees were, on average, 20% shorter than for other patients. Regression analyses showed direct negative associations between psychotherapists' overall perception of barriers with the number of refugees treated and the number of sessions offered to refugee patients, even when controlling for sociodemographic and workload-related characteristics. Correlation analyses on the level of specific types of barriers further revealed that particularly language-related barriers and lack of contact with the refugee population are negatively correlated with the number of refugees treated and the number of sessions for refugees. Our findings indicate that the integration of refugees into regular psychotherapeutic care could be improved by measures to connect psychotherapists with refugee patients as well as professional interpreters and to ensure coverage of costs for therapy, interpreters and related administrative tasks.

KW - Humans

KW - Psychotherapists

KW - Refugees/psychology

KW - Mental Health

KW - Psychotherapy

KW - Germany

U2 - 10.1002/cpp.2859

DO - 10.1002/cpp.2859

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

C2 - 37114524

VL - 30

SP - 1071

EP - 1082

JO - CLIN PSYCHOL PSYCHOT

JF - CLIN PSYCHOL PSYCHOT

SN - 1063-3995

IS - 5

ER -