Diagnostic and treatment overshadowing of vocational problems by personal problems.

Abstract

We investigated counseling psychologists' (N= 165) vocational diagnostic and treatment decisions when vocational and personal problems are presented concurrently. Participants assessed the same vocational problem either alone or in conjunction with a personal problem of one-half, equal, or double the severity of the vocational problem. Without consideration for counselors' problem preference, ratings of the vocational problem were equivalent across the three personal problem severity levels. However, with preferences considered, counseling psychologists who reported greater preference for working with personal problems, in comparison to vocational problems, were less likely to assess, diagnose, and treat the vocational problem than were counseling psychologists who reported equivalent or reversed problem preferences. This biasing effect occurred when the personal problem was of equal or double the severity of the vocational problem.

Clinical Judgment Faith Bias: The Impact of Faith and Multicultural Competence on Clinical Judgment

“…In the third pilot study, the level of religiousness or spirituality in the vignette versions was measured and six vignette versions were selected for the current study, using magnitude estimation scaling (Lodge, 1981) based on Tanenhaus and Murphy (1981) and Spengler, Blustein, and Strohmer (1990). The vignette versions with the highest accuracy ratings from the second pilot study were pilot-tested with undergraduate student volunteers, who rated the degree of religiousness or spirituality represented by each vignette.…”

“…The second pilot study developed two pools of potential vignette versions and content-validated them, based on a procedure outlined in Lodge (1981) and Spengler, Blustein, and Strohmer (1990). A pool of 16 religious versions and a second pool of 21 spiritual versions were written, each containing six sentences in which six different qualities are systematically varied from high to low: (1) a cognitive statement of faith, To evaluate the content validity of the two vignette pools, they were first reviewed, edited, and revised by a clinical judgment expert and a psychology of religion expert to more accurately represent varying levels of religiousness and spirituality.…”

“…Following content validation, the magnitude or level of religiousness or spirituality in each rewritten vignette version was established using a magnitude estimation scaling (Lodge, 1981) task based on Tanenhaus and Murphy (1981) and Spengler, Blustein, and Strohmer (1990). Undergraduate college students were selected to complete the magnitude estimation scaling task for two reasons: (1) in order to increase the generalizability of the vignette versions, adding a third sample of people (in addition to psychologists and religious experts) who validated the versions; and (2) in an effort to assess magnitude of religiousness and spirituality as perceived by the (welleducated) general population rather than as perceived by psychologists or religious experts, who because of their specialized knowledge might view magnitude of religiousness and spirituality different than ordinary lay persons.…”

The effects of motor vehicle accidents on careers and the work performance of victims

“…Some authors, like Spokane (1989), have argued that career and mental health issues are unrelated in general, whereas others (Blustein, 1987(Blustein, , 1992Brown & Brooks, 1985;Herr, 1989;Loughead, Black & DeLucia, 1989;Lowman, 1997;Spengler, Blustein & Strohmer, 1990) have argued that there is an integral and complex overlap between mental health and career well-being.…”

Casting No Shadow: Assessing Vocational Overshadowing

“…Spengler, Blustein, and Strohmer (1990) were one of the first to use the term ''vocational overshadowing.' ' Spengler et al defined vocational overshadowing as an underemphasis on clients' career concerns when more interesting, prestigious, or rewarding ''personal problems'' coexists.…”