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Gender identity, research self‐efficacy and research intention in trainee clinical psychologists in the UK
Author(s) -
Wright Anne B.,
Holttum Sue
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
clinical psychology and psychotherapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.315
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1099-0879
pISSN - 1063-3995
DOI - 10.1002/cpp.732
Subject(s) - psychology , self efficacy , masculinity , psychological research , clinical psychology , scale (ratio) , preference , identity (music) , sample (material) , social psychology , applied psychology , chemistry , physics , chromatography , quantum mechanics , acoustics , psychoanalysis , economics , microeconomics
This study tested, with a sample of United Kingdom (UK) trainee clinical psychologists, part of an existing model of factors that influence clinical psychologists' levels of research activity, in which gender identity is hypothesized to influence research self‐efficacy and this in turn strength of intention to do research. A sample of 121 trainee clinical psychologists (56 men and 65 women) completed a measure of gender identity, research intention, and a research self‐efficacy scale. Results indicated no differences in levels of research intention or research self‐efficacy between the biological sexes or according to category‐based gender identities (masculine and feminine). However, masculinity as a scale quantity was statistically significantly related to stronger research intention, preference for conducting quantitative research and research self‐efficacy. Multiple regression analysis provided evidence that research self‐efficacy may mediate between masculinity and strength of research intention. Research self‐efficacy was the strongest predictor of intention to do research in the future. Findings have relevance for clinical psychology training as research activity directly impacts upon advances in the discipline of clinical psychology, implementation of research into practice, and evaluation of psychological therapies. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Message: • Clinical psychologists' research activity is important for the advancement of the clinical psychology profession but relatively few clinical psychologists appear to engage in research activity. • In a national sample of male and female UK trainee clinical psychologists, trainees' research self‐efficacy was strongly positively correlated with intention to do research in the future. • Scores on a measure of masculinity also predicted research intention, and research self‐efficacy mediated the relationship between masculinity and intention. • Clinical psychology training courses might seek to increase trainees' research self‐efficacy by exploring factors hypothesized to enhance the research training environment and that have predicted greater practitioner research activity in previous literature. • Because research activity tends to be seen as stereotypically a more male activity, it may also be worth challenging or encouraging trainees to reflect on stereotypical views of gender and research.