Provision of Confidentiality Information and Its Relation to Child Abuse Reporting

Abstract

A study of 204 psychologists in Minnesota, Missouri, and Kansas, representing a survey response rate of 59.6%, indicated that respondents were inconsistent in their procedures for informing clients of confidentiality limits. The hypothesis that these procedures are related to child abuse reporting tendencies was partially supported. Although within-session (within-vignette) manipulation of the confidentiality information provided did not influence reporting tendency, the results indicated that clinicians who typically provided more frequent and more specific information about confidentiality limits were also more likely to report abuse presented in a vignette. In addition, clinicians' certainty of abuse, reporting history, and theoretical orientation were related to reporting tendency. The findings suggest the need to reassert the importance of the consistent provision of detailed information about confidentiality limits to clients early in therapy. © 1994 American Psychological Association.