Psychotherapists' Readiness to Treat Refugee Patients and the Influence of Professional Quality of Life: A Cross-Sectional Vignette Study.

BACKGROUND

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.

OBJECTIVE

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).

METHOD: 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.

RESULTS

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.

CONCLUSIONS

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.