Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Semester of Degree Completion

1987

Thesis Director

William P. McGown

Abstract

It has been proposed by some that students choose to study in mental health related fields in an effort to find solutions for their own personal emotional or family problems. Some believe that those who assumed or were assigned a family role of the good or parentified child (a role which requires that the needs of others be placed ahead of one's own) are over-represented among mental health professionals. Others contend that there are no significant differences in family background between psychotherapists and other individuals with a similar level of education. Little empirical investigation has addressed these issues. Studies which have been conducted have typically involved small samples without controls. Since therapists' personal issues may have a direct bearing on positive therapeutic outcome, it is important that research be undertaken to establish a baseline for the incidence of family problems among professionals in general against which psychotherapists may be compared.

The present study compared the family histories of a clinician group to a control group of university professors. The clinician group (n = 56) included staff members from three university counseling centers and six community mental health centers. The control professionals (n = 105) were all university instructors. All 161 subjects completed a questionnaire designed specifically for this study. The questionnaire used a 5 x 10 matrix with 5 types of family member (self, mother, father, sibling, and other) across the top of the matrix, and 10 types of problem down the side (school problems, substance abuse/addiction, mental health admission, stress related physical condition, mental diagnosis, victim of child abuse, victim of sibling abuse, victim of sexual abuse, victim of spouse abuse, and abuser of spouse or children.

Clinicians reported a significantly higher number of family problems than the nonclinician controls. A univariate comparison for each category of family member revealed a significantly higher number of problems in the clinician group for subjects' siblings and fathers, as well as for the subjects themselves. A univariate analysis comparing the incidence of each problem type between the two groups demonstrated that 3 of the 10 problem types had occurred significantly more often among the psychotherapist group than among the controls. These were school problems, substance abuse/addiction, and stress related physical illness.

A univariate cell by cell comparison for each of the 50 cells in the questionnaire matrix revealed significant differences in 10 of the cells. These were substance abuse/addiction by the subject, a sibling of the subject, and by an extended family member; mental health admission of the subject; the subject as a victim of child abuse; school problems of a sibling; stress related physical illness of a sibling and the subject's father; sibling as a victim of spouse abuse; and sibling as an abuser of spouse or child.

A significantly higher number of clinicians claimed earlier than average assumption of adult responsibility. No significant differences were found between the two groups in the incidence of suicide in the family, the number of subjects who were firstborn children, or the number of subjects whose parents had been divorced or separated before the subjects entered college.

Clinical implications as well as areas for further investigation were discussed.

Download

Share

COinS