Schwegler Pia Maria, Neumann Theresa, Rosner Rita, Gossmann Katharina
Department of Psychology, Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Eichstaett, Germany.
Clin Psychol Psychother. 2025 May-Jun;32(3):e70076. doi: 10.1002/cpp.70076.
Previous research has shown that psychotherapists' characteristics influence their readiness to treat refugee patients. The impact of therapists' professional quality of life (ProQOL) regarding their treatment readiness for refugee patients is unknown.
This study aims to evaluate the ProQOL among psychotherapists in Germany. It examines how these factors and previous experience working with refugees affect psychotherapists' treatment readiness for refugee patients with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
In our study, we assessed the treatment readiness of licensed psychotherapists (LPTs) and psychotherapists in training (PiTs) using randomized refugee verus nonrefugee vignettes. Participants (N = 821) rated their treatment readiness for the presented case, reported their professional quality of life on the ProQOL questionnaire as well as prior experience with psychotherapy for refugees.
The ProQOL differed significantly between therapists with and without experience treating refugees: Compassion satisfaction was higher, and burnout lowers for those who had already treated refugees. Overall, treatment readiness was lower for refugee than for nonrefugee patients. Therapists with prior experience of working with refugees reported a significantly higher treatment readiness for the refugee vignette. Treatment readiness was not affected by the reported ProQOL.
Treatment experience with refugees did not negatively impact therapists' ProQOL but fostered their further treatment readiness for this specific patient group. Psychotherapists should be encouraged to gain initial treatment experience with refugees to improve long-term health care for refugees. Encouragement could be achieved by providing supervision or specialist training.
先前的研究表明，心理治疗师的特质会影响他们治疗难民患者的意愿。治疗师的职业生活质量（ProQOL）对其治疗难民患者意愿的影响尚不清楚。
本研究旨在评估德国心理治疗师的职业生活质量。研究探讨这些因素以及先前为难民提供治疗的经验如何影响心理治疗师对有创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）症状的难民患者的治疗意愿。
在我们的研究中，我们使用随机的难民与非难民案例 vignettes 评估了有执照的心理治疗师（LPTs）和实习心理治疗师（PiTs）的治疗意愿。参与者（N = 821）对所呈现案例的治疗意愿进行评分，在 ProQOL 问卷上报告他们的职业生活质量以及先前为难民提供心理治疗的经验。
有难民治疗经验和没有难民治疗经验的治疗师在职业生活质量上存在显著差异：对于那些已经治疗过难民的治疗师，同情满意度更高，职业倦怠更低。总体而言，难民患者的治疗意愿低于非难民患者。有难民工作经验的治疗师对难民案例 vignette 的治疗意愿显著更高。治疗意愿不受所报告的职业生活质量的影响。
为难民提供治疗的经验并没有对治疗师的职业生活质量产生负面影响，反而增强了他们对这一特定患者群体的进一步治疗意愿。应鼓励心理治疗师获得为难民提供治疗的初步经验，以改善为难民提供的长期医疗保健。可以通过提供督导或专业培训来实现鼓励。
