The Influence of Demand Characteristics and Social Desirability on Clients’ Ratings of the Therapeutic Alliance

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine demand characteristics, social desirability on clients' rating of working alliance using the Session Rating Scale (SRS; Miller, Duncan, & Johnson, 2000). METHOD: Clients (N = 102) at two sites were randomly assigned to one of three alliance feedback conditions: (a) IF--SRS completed in presence of therapist and the results discussed immediately afterward; (b) Next Session Feedback--SRS completed alone and results discussed next session; or (c) No Feedback--SRS completed alone and results not available to therapist. Clients completed the SRS for the first three sessions of treatment. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences in SRS scores across the feedback conditions were found. Additionally, the analysis showed that SRS scores were not correlated with a measure of social desirability but were correlated with an established alliance measure. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that alliance scores were not inflated due to the presence of a therapist or knowing that the scores would be observed by the therapist.