Social class as a variable of culturally competent psychology remains a misunderstood and understudied phenomenon. This study was designed to explore how mental health providers’ social class of origin and classist attitudes impact their beliefs and treatment of clients from different economic backgrounds. This was accomplished by exploring five domains across two vignettes that varied in SES indicators (Low-‐Income vs. Middle Class Vignette). The domains of study included classist beliefs, GAF scores with or without treatment over time, positive and negative stereotype endorsement, perceptions of the therapeutic relationship, and potential treatment modalities. Clinicians did not rate the vignettes differently in terms of stereotypes but rated the low-‐income client as having a lower GAF score both with and without treatment over time. Clinicians also endorsed the belief that they would like to work with the low-‐income client more and believed the low-‐ income client would benefit more from therapy. Clinicians from upper class backgrounds tended to endorse more positive stereotypes about the low-‐income client and believed that said client would decompensate less without therapy. Finally, clinicians from lower class backgrounds tended to be more pessimistic about the middle class client in terms of GAF scores with treatment.
","abstract_html":"<p>Social class as a variable of culturally competent psychology remains a misunderstood and understudied phenomenon. This study was designed to explore how mental health providers’ social class of origin and classist attitudes impact their beliefs and treatment of clients from different economic backgrounds. This was accomplished by exploring five domains across two vignettes that varied in SES indicators (Low-‐Income vs. Middle Class Vignette). The domains of study included classist beliefs, GAF scores with or without treatment over time, positive and negative stereotype endorsement, perceptions of the therapeutic relationship, and potential treatment modalities. Clinicians did not rate the vignettes differently in terms of stereotypes but rated the low-‐income client as having a lower GAF score both with and without treatment over time. Clinicians also endorsed the belief that they would like to work with the low-‐income client more and believed the low-‐ income client would benefit more from therapy. Clinicians from upper class backgrounds tended to endorse more positive stereotypes about the low-‐income client and believed that said client would decompensate less without therapy. Finally, clinicians from lower class backgrounds tended to be more pessimistic about the middle class client in terms of GAF scores with treatment.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Pietrantonio, Kipp Ryan"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Counseling Psychology & Community Services","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Cindy Juntunen","Kara Wettersten","Tamba-Kuii Bailey"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2013,"date_issued":"2013-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2013-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:25:20Z","subjects":["mental health personnel attitudes","classism","class consciousness","Counseling Psychology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.und.edu/theses/446","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Cindy Juntunen","Kara Wettersten","Tamba-Kuii Bailey"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Pietrantonio, Kipp Ryan"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2018-05-18T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Counseling Psychology & Community Services"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["mental health personnel attitudes","classism","class consciousness","Counseling Psychology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.und.edu/theses/446"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Social class as a variable of culturally competent psychology remains a misunderstood and understudied phenomenon. This study was designed to explore how mental health providers’ social class of origin and classist attitudes impact their beliefs and treatment of clients from different economic backgrounds. This was accomplished by exploring five domains across two vignettes that varied in SES indicators (Low-‐Income vs. Middle Class Vignette). The domains of study included classist beliefs, GAF scores with or without treatment over time, positive and negative stereotype endorsement, perceptions of the therapeutic relationship, and potential treatment modalities. Clinicians did not rate the vignettes differently in terms of stereotypes but rated the low-‐income client as having a lower GAF score both with and without treatment over time. Clinicians also endorsed the belief that they would like to work with the low-‐income client more and believed the low-‐ income client would benefit more from therapy. Clinicians from upper class backgrounds tended to endorse more positive stereotypes about the low-‐income client and believed that said client would decompensate less without therapy. Finally, clinicians from lower class backgrounds tended to be more pessimistic about the middle class client in terms of GAF scores with treatment.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Class is out: mental health professionals' social class identification and classist attitudes toward low-income clients"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Cindy Juntunen","Kara Wettersten","Tamba-Kuii Bailey"],"dc:creator":["Pietrantonio, Kipp Ryan"],"dc:date.available":["2018-05-18T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Social class as a variable of culturally competent psychology remains a misunderstood and understudied phenomenon. This study was designed to explore how mental health providers’ social class of origin and classist attitudes impact their beliefs and treatment of clients from different economic backgrounds. This was accomplished by exploring five domains across two vignettes that varied in SES indicators (Low-‐Income vs. Middle Class Vignette). The domains of study included classist beliefs, GAF scores with or without treatment over time, positive and negative stereotype endorsement, perceptions of the therapeutic relationship, and potential treatment modalities. Clinicians did not rate the vignettes differently in terms of stereotypes but rated the low-‐income client as having a lower GAF score both with and without treatment over time. Clinicians also endorsed the belief that they would like to work with the low-‐income client more and believed the low-‐ income client would benefit more from therapy. Clinicians from upper class backgrounds tended to endorse more positive stereotypes about the low-‐income client and believed that said client would decompensate less without therapy. Finally, clinicians from lower class backgrounds tended to be more pessimistic about the middle class client in terms of GAF scores with treatment.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.und.edu/theses/446"],"dc:subject":["mental health personnel attitudes","classism","class consciousness","Counseling Psychology"],"dc:title":["Class is out: mental health professionals' social class identification and classist attitudes toward low-income clients"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Counseling Psychology & Community Services"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:25:20Z"}