Relation Between Ethnic Match and Completion of Therapy among Vietnamese Clients at an Ethnic Specific Agency

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2012-05

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Abstract

Previous research on the relation between ethnic match and treatment outcomes has focused on examining Asian Americans as a whole and not as distinct ethnic groups. The present study investigated the relation between ethnic match and completion of therapy among Vietnamese Americans. Data was obtained from a de-identified database of clients who received counseling services at an ethnic-specific agency in Houston, Texas. Results indicate that ethnic match does not significantly predict completion of therapy above and beyond other variables. The current study expanded on previous research in three ways: (1) by examining the relation between ethnic match and treatment outcomes at an ethnic-specific mental health agency in the southern United States, (2) by examining Vietnamese separately from other Asian ethnicities, and (3) by using a different proxy measure for treatment outcome (i.e., completion of therapy rather than number of sessions or Global Assessment Scale score improvement). Implications and limitations of the study are discussed.

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Keywords

Ethnic match, Treatment outcomes, Vietnamese, Ethnic-specific services

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