Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), Xavier University, 2015, Psychology

Several studies have examined the factors that influence healthcare providers' treatment recommendations. One of the primary findings of previous research was that Direct to Consumer Advertising (DTCA) of medications can affect the way that patients and prescribers address medical and mental-health conditions, particularly if patients request the DTCA medication. Few studies have directly measured psychologists' responses to patient requests for specific treatments. The present study examined whether medication and therapy requests would influence psychologists' treatment recommendations in a sample of 202 board-certified psychologists who responded to a vignette of a client describing symptoms of depression. We also examined the influence of other factors on psychologists' recommendations. There were no significant differences in treatment recommendation based on vignette type; the majority (66%) of psychologists recommended a combination of psychotherapy and antidepressant medication to treat Major Depressive Disorder. Only variables related to psychologists' clinical practice and beliefs and attitudes, significantly predicted treatment recommendation. Future research might examine how psychologists would respond to real-life encounter, or a standardized patient making requests, and may want to include a more diverse sample of practicing psychologists.

Committee: Kathleen Hart Ph.D., ABPP (Committee Chair) Subjects: Psychology