You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
Over the last few decades, the importance of clinically and conceptually appreciating and being sensitive to racial and cultural diversity in psychodynamic psychotherapy has been increasingly recognized and accentuated. But how has that practical recognition and appreciation been translated into empirical reality? How have race/ethnicity been incorporated into or impacted short-term and long-term psychodynamic treatment research? To consider those questions, I (a) obtained and examined 104 studies (including over 9,000 subjects), January 1960-April 2010, drawn from 8 separate reviews/meta-analyses of psychodynamic treatment conducted over the last decade, and (b) reviewed each investigation to determine the race/ethnicity of research participants across studies. Each investigation was also examined to determine the presence/absence of information about participant age, sex, socioeconomic status, and educational level. While virtually all studies provided age and sex information, most did not include data about socioeconomic status or educational level. Approximately 75% of the studies provided no information about race or ethnicity whatsoever. Where such information was provided, 75%, 21%, and 4% of the participants, respectively, were identified as being White, Black, or other (which included Asian, Hispanic, American Indian, and unspecified participants). However, of the 25% non-White subjects, over 80% of those— virtually all of whom were Black or Hispanic—came from 3 data sets alone (collected 15 or more years ago) where cocaine and opiate addicts were the focus of study. Psychodynamic treatment data on non-White subjects are exceedingly rare. Poor reporting practices of sample characteristics have done us no favors either. In rendering psychodynamic treatment research most accessible, replicable, and racially and ethnically relevant, the need to include more non-White subjects and provide more detailed specifics about research participant features is briefly considered and emphasized.