ABSTRACT
Although it is acknowledged that premature termination is detrimental to the therapy process, there is limited information on how to utilize client demographic data to indicate which clients have greatest potential to prematurely terminate. The study assessed how client ethnicity interacts with client gender, therapist gender, therapist ethnicity, and client socioeconomic status (education and income) to affect premature termination. The study consisted of 527 cases which received therapy services from the Auburn University Marriage and Family Therapy Center from October 1993 to October 1999. The three definitions of premature termination used were termination after one session, prior to six sessions, and by therapist report. Results indicated that interactions of client income and ethnicity and therapist gender and ethnicity were the most useful demographic data indicators of premature termination.
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Williams, S.L., Ketring, S.A. & Salts, C.J. Premature termination as a function of intake data based on ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, and income. Contemp Fam Ther 27, 213–231 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-005-4040-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-005-4040-8