Consumer attitudes towards evidence based mental health services among American mental health consumers

Abstract

Much work has been done in recent years to understand mental health provider attitudes towards Evidence Based Practices (EBPs) in part to help explain the scarcity of such practices in community settings. However, little work has been done on consumer attitudes towards EBPs. The Consumer Attitudes towards Evidence Based Services (CAEBS) scale to date administered only on a college sample. In the current study, the 29-item CAEBS was administered to a nationwide sample of participants from websites offering classified advertisements (N= 312). Participants were predominantly Caucasian people between ages 18 and 80 with histories of mental health treatment utilization and strong beliefs as preferred therapists' practices based on these experiences. An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) suggested four-factors based on 26 of the items: Beliefs Regarding Therapists' Practices, Attitudes about Mental Health Policy, Negative Micro-Level Attitudes toward EBPs, and Negative Macro-Level Attitudes towards EBPs. Participants who were educated at a Bachelors' degree level and unsatisfied with prior treatments showed more positive responses towards EBPs than those with a Masters' degree and who were satisfied. Those who were satisfied with their past treatments, had received a non-EBP in the past, had access to transportation, and had seen symptom improvement since their treatment endorsed lesser negative attitudes towards EBPs.