The Effects of Shared Demographic Background and Cultural Competency on Therapy Preferences
Faculty Mentor
Jonathan E. Friedel
Location
Russell Union Ballroom
Type of Research
Completed
Session Format
Poster Presentation
College
College of Behavioral & Social Sciences
Department
Psychology
Abstract
Research suggests that individuals are more likely to trust those with whom they share in-group characteristics, however cultural competency training has also been shown to foster feelings of trust in patients. This study used delay discounting tasks and hypothetical scenarios related to seeking mental health services in order to determine the level to which individuals prefer mental health providers who share demographic background characteristics, in addition to being trained or not in culturally competent practices. This study attempts to extend the findings of Perez (2022) which found that participants preferred less effective therapy when offered by mental health providers trained to be culturally competent. Delay discounting describes how the value of an outcome decreases as the delay to receiving that outcome increases. The current study uses delay discounting to understand how individuals make decisions about mental health providers based on whether sharing a demographic background with the mental health provider affects their degree of discounting. The participants in this study were recruited via online participant-recruitment software (SONA) and were all students enrolled in Psychology courses at Georgia Southern University. Data for this study is currently being analyzed, and results will be discussed as part of the presentation.
Program Description
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Start Date
4-23-2026 2:00 PM
End Date
4-23-2026 4:00 PM
Recommended Citation
Johnson, Arya C.; Paradise, Janet; and Ewing, Kason, "The Effects of Shared Demographic Background and Cultural Competency on Therapy Preferences" (2026). GS4 Student Scholars Symposium. 149.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/research_symposium/2026/2026/149
The Effects of Shared Demographic Background and Cultural Competency on Therapy Preferences
Russell Union Ballroom
Research suggests that individuals are more likely to trust those with whom they share in-group characteristics, however cultural competency training has also been shown to foster feelings of trust in patients. This study used delay discounting tasks and hypothetical scenarios related to seeking mental health services in order to determine the level to which individuals prefer mental health providers who share demographic background characteristics, in addition to being trained or not in culturally competent practices. This study attempts to extend the findings of Perez (2022) which found that participants preferred less effective therapy when offered by mental health providers trained to be culturally competent. Delay discounting describes how the value of an outcome decreases as the delay to receiving that outcome increases. The current study uses delay discounting to understand how individuals make decisions about mental health providers based on whether sharing a demographic background with the mental health provider affects their degree of discounting. The participants in this study were recruited via online participant-recruitment software (SONA) and were all students enrolled in Psychology courses at Georgia Southern University. Data for this study is currently being analyzed, and results will be discussed as part of the presentation.
