Therapist-patient sexual involvement: risk factors and consequences

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine factors that put patients at risk for sexual abuse in psychotherapy and to assess the psychological consequences of therapist–patient sexual involvement. To date, there is a lack of controlled research based on larger samples for both of these controversial issues. In this survey, female patients sexually abused by their psychotherapists (n=57) did not differ from female patients reporting no sexual abuse (n=43), in almost all of the risk factors. However, sexually abused patients had poorer treatment outcomes (p<0.05) and almost all reported negative consequences of therapist–patient sexual involvement. In the regression analyses, only sexual abuse but no risk factor could account for the group differences in the treatment outcomes (p<0.01). Emphasizing therapists' characteristics, future studies need to examine factors of the therapist–patient relationship that increase risk for sexual abuse. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.