Effects of a brief education on psychologists’ attitudes and diagnostic impressions of paedophilic obsessive-compulsive intrusive thoughts.

Abstract

This study investigated whether an educational intervention could reduce psychologists’ stigma towards clients with paedophilic obsessional intrusions and aid diagnosis. Psychologists (N = 109) read a vignette describing someone experiencing paedophilic intrusions, were asked to suggest a diagnosis, and completed measures on negative views and fear, before and after watching a brief educational video on differential diagnosis. Generalised Linear Mixed Models found a reduction in pre- to post-test scores in perception of psychological problem (F[1, 193] = 9.56, p = .002, small to medium effect size η2 = 0.04), general concern (F[1, 193] = 34.95, p < .001, large effect size η2 = 0.15), and fear (F[1, 194] = 47.39, p < .001, large effect size η2 = 0.20). There was a significant difference in the number of psychologists stating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) was the likely diagnosis pre-test (67.3%) versus post-test (97.8%), t(93) = 31.59, p < .001. These findings suggest that although psychologists were generally able to identify paedophilic intrusions as OCD, the education reduced scores of negative views and fear, despite psychologists already displaying relatively low scores, and improved recognition of OCD. This research highlights the importance of continued education of clinicians to improve outcomes for clients.