(PS12-54) Perception of Treatment Between White vs. Trainees of Color

Holding status as an ethnic minority comes with unique stressors, including frequent doubts about one’s own ability to achieve, especially when in academic settings (Cokley et al., 2013, 2017). Specifically, research has found that graduate students of color rate themselves as more likely to doubt their own self-intellect and capability (Chakraverty et al., 2022; Ewing et al., 1996). However, existing quantitative research on the experience of trainees of color in psychology is extremely limited. This study aims to fill the gap in research related to experiences of psychology trainees of color, by comparing trainees’ self-reported data on their perceptions of working alliance and expectations of treatment outcomes. 

Data were collected between 2010 and 2023 from 48 graduate student clinician trainees providing Dialectical Behavior Therapy at a university-based research and training clinic for individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD). The sample had a mean age of 27.49 (SD = 3.24) and was predominantly female (83.33%). Around a third of the sample (32.69%) identified with at least one other racial or ethnic identity than white, with the majority within this group identifying as Asian (55.56%), followed by Black (11.11%), and Hispanic (11.11%) identities. Trainees completed the Working Alliance Inventory – Short Form (WAI-T; Tracey & Kokotovic, 1989) at the end of the first four therapy sessions, mid-treatment, and post-treatment. Following the first treatment session and mid-treatment, the trainees also answered questions related to their expectations of the treatment’s efficacy for the client through the Expectancy Questionnaire.  Based on previous research on trainees of colors’ increased rate of stress and self-doubt, it is hypothesized that trainees of color will report 1) lower ratings on working alliance, and 2) lower expectancy and confidence of treatment change. Preliminary analyses of data indicated a difference in the average of the total WAI-T score across all timepoints of treatment between trainee groups, with trainees of color reporting only a slightly lower total working alliance score (M = 63.31, SD = 8.20) than white trainees (M = 66.00, SD = 10.40). Important variables such as client’s ratings on corresponding measures (Working Alliance Inventory – Client Version and Expectancy Questionnaire – Client Version) and clients’ general (Brief Symptom Inventory; Derogatis, 1993) and BPD symptomology (BSL-23; Bohus et al., 2009) will be incorporated into final data analyses.