Department

Psychology, Professional

Date

Summer 7-31-2022

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.)

Type of Paper/Work

Dissertation

Advisor

Bryana French

Second Advisor

Nathaniel William Nelson

Third Advisor

Christopher Vye

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between veteran ratings of their psychotherapist’s Cultural Humility (CH), the influence of CH on their decision to remain in or terminate therapy, and mental health treatment outcomes. Method: 139 veterans who previously or currently attend psychotherapy were recruited via public and private veteran organization social media platforms. Participants completed an online survey where they rated their most recent psychotherapist using the Cultural Humility Scale (CHS) and indicated whether CH moderated decision-making regarding the termination or continuation of psychotherapy. Participants also indicated their core cultural identities and completed a Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale. Results: Participants identified veteran status uniformly higher than other core aspects of identity (p<.001) across all listed identities. Deployment was significantly associated with high scores on the PHQ-9 and GAD-7. Veteran perception of CH in their therapists was significantly associated with premature termination (PT) F(4, 77) = 2.97, p<.024, scores on the CHS F(4, 77) = 1.60, p = .014, and the PHQ-9 PHQ-9 F(4, 77) = 2.86,

p<.029. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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