Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 2A, 1353, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Present address: Department of Health Promotion and Development, University of Bergen, Årstadsveien 17, 5009, Bergen, Norway.
BMC Health Serv Res. 2022 Jul 28;22(1):957. doi: 10.1186/s12913-022-08356-w.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a surge in mental health issues in the UK and worldwide, yet many UK residents have not received the help they have needed. Earlier research has indicated that accommodating client preferences leads to better therapeutic outcomes, however, little is known about preferences in how psychologists present themselves online and what might facilitate or slow help-seeking individuals' decision about whom to seek help from. Based on literature suggesting personal branding as an effective way for clients to choose between psychologists, we sought to investigate UK residents' preferences for specialization and self-disclosure in online presentations of psychologists based on level of fear of COVID-19 and diagnostic status.
A sample of 187 UK residents were surveyed mid-April 2020 and analyzed using a rating-based conjoint analysis with a fractional factorial design consisting of 22 profiles. Each profile consisted of six attributes (Years of experience, area of expertise, gender, self-disclosure, training institution and facial trustworthiness). Analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to explore preferences for area of expertise and self-disclosure depending on fear of COVID-19. An independent sample t-test was done to explore preference for self-disclosure among diagnosed residents.
The conjoint model yielded a good fit (Kendall's tau = .90, p < .001). Relative importance scores (RI) were highest for years of experience (RI = 28.84) and area of expertise (RI = 22.78). Residents with a high fear of COVID-19 preferred psychologists specialized in anxiety disorders and fear (also fear of COVID-19) more than residents with a low fear of COVID-19 (MD = .92, 95% CI = [.198, 1.64], p = .013). Residents with a high fear of COVID-19 also preferred self-disclosing psychologists more than residents with a low fear of COVID-19 (MD = 1.05, 95% CI = [.184, 1.92], p = .013). Diagnostic status was not associated with preference for self-disclosure.
Listing de facto specialization in psychologist profiles might facilitate prospective clients' decision-making process. Self-disclosure appears to be important for some clients, but more research is warranted.
新冠疫情在英国乃至全球范围内导致心理健康问题激增，但许多英国居民并未得到所需的帮助。早期研究表明，满足客户偏好会带来更好的治疗效果，然而，人们对在线呈现心理学家时的偏好知之甚少，也不知道哪些因素会促进或阻碍寻求帮助的人决定向谁寻求帮助。基于个人品牌作为客户在选择心理学家时进行区分的有效方式的相关文献，我们试图调查英国居民对在线呈现心理学家时的专业化和自我表露程度的偏好，这些偏好基于对新冠疫情的恐惧程度和诊断状况。
2020 年 4 月中旬，对 187 名英国居民进行了抽样调查，并使用基于评分的联合分析进行了分析，该分析采用包含 22 个配置文件的分数阶因子设计。每个配置文件由六个属性组成（工作年限、专业领域、性别、自我表露、培训机构和面部可信度）。方差分析（ANOVA）用于探索对专业领域和自我表露的偏好取决于对新冠疫情的恐惧程度。独立样本 t 检验用于探索诊断居民对自我表露的偏好。
联合模型拟合良好（肯德尔 tau = .90，p < .001）。工作年限（RI = 28.84）和专业领域（RI = 22.78）的相对重要得分最高。对新冠疫情高度恐惧的居民比对新冠疫情低度恐惧的居民更倾向于选择专门治疗焦虑症和恐惧（也包括对新冠疫情的恐惧）的心理学家（MD = .92，95% CI = [.198, 1.64]，p = .013）。对新冠疫情高度恐惧的居民也比对新冠疫情低度恐惧的居民更倾向于选择自我表露的心理学家（MD = 1.05，95% CI = [.184, 1.92]，p = .013）。诊断状况与自我表露偏好无关。
在心理学家档案中列出事实上的专业化可能会促进潜在客户的决策过程。自我表露对某些客户很重要，但需要进一步研究。
