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theses

Western culture has historically promoted monogamy as the most widely accepted and advocated ethical/moral relationship option available. Polyamory, in contrast to monogamy, is defined by the possibility of multiple sexual or romantic partners simultaneously and openly. Recent research indicates that polyamory is becoming more prevalent as a relationship style. However, as public interest in polyamory has grown, education about polyamory has not made it into standard mental health curricula. Historically, the mental health fields have tended to pathologize polyamory. There is a dearth of studies exploring clinicians’ attitudes towards polyamory and how those attitudes may be influencing their responses to polyamorous clients. To address this gap, this study investigated psychotherapists’ attitudes towards polyamory and determined whether relationships exists between such attitudes and responses to polyamorous clients. This study also sought to identify which psychotherapist characteristics may be associated with anti-polyamory attitudes and responses to polyamorous clients. The study was conducted through an anonymous online survey of practicing mental health practitioners, including professional clinicians and graduate trainees. Participants were asked to read a fictional intake summary of a polyamorous client and then complete two client response measures. Other instruments administered included a measure of attitudes toward polyamory, an assessment of multicultural competency, and a training and experience questionnaire. Quantitative methods consisted of descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. Results displayed a negative, statistically significant relationship (p < .001) between age and attitudes toward polyamory, and a positive, statistically significant relationship (p = .012) between multicultural competence and attitudes toward polyamory. Another hierarchical multiple regression showed that there was a negative, statistically significant relationship (p = .032) between attitudes towards polyamory and unfavorable perceptions of the polyamorous client. Results demonstrate the need for clinicians to be more aware of their own bias and the impact of stigma on the therapeutic relationship, to further their knowledge of nontraditional living patterns, and for training institutions to recognize this as a part of cultural competence and be more mindful of its inclusion in the curricula. Future directions include additional research on the respective impacts of psychotherapists’ political/social values and sexual orientation on attitudes towards polyamory.

ETD_11292

doi:10.7282/t3-vgnv-z061

Psy.D.

Includes bibliographical references

ETD doctoral

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