Therapist attitudes as influenced by A-B therapist type, patient diagnosis, and social class.

Attempted to clarify a number of inconsistent and contradictory findings regarding interactions between patient diagnosis (schizophrenic vs. neurotic) and the A-B therapist variable. 37 psychiatric residents completed Kemp's version of the A-B scale. The 10 highest and 10 lowest scorers then rated 4 patient vignettes on likability, discomfort, interest in treating, and prognosis. Patient social class as well as diagnosis were systematically controlled. Results support some of the previous research on likability but provided no support for other A-B * Patient Type interactions. A number of main effects for diagnosis and social class indicate that, in general, residents of both types hold more favorable attitudes toward neurotic and middle-class patients than they do toward schizophrenic and lower-class patients. (23 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)