Gender identity, research self‐efficacy and research intention in trainee clinical psychologists in the UK

Abstract

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.

A Path Analysis of Cambodian Faculty’s Research Intention: Focusing on Direct and Mediating Effects at Individual Level

“…The significant relationship between past behavior and intention was observed in previous studies (e.g. Côté, Gagnon, Houme, Abdeljelil, & Gagnon, 2012), and the relationship between some gender characteristics and research intention was found in the study by Wright and Holttum (2012).…”

“…Those few studies included the line of research involved by Sue Holttum -i.e. Holttum and Goble (2006); Wright and Holttum (2012);and Eke, Holttum, and Hayward (2012). These studies looked into the field of psychology and into the developed context of the United Kingdom.…”

“…This proposed model derived from an integration of previous theories and empirical studies within both the psychological and environmental standpoints, but it has not yet been tested fully. The latter study (in the same line) of Wright and Holttum (2012) investigated the difference in research self-efficacy and research intention between males and females and tried to test the mediation effect research self-efficacy poses on the relationship between gender and research intention. The authors found that there was a strong correlation between research self-efficacy and research intention to do research among the U.K. trainee clinical psychologists.…”

“…First, only very few studies in the past have tackled research intention in the U.S. and the U.K. contexts (see Holttum & Goble, 2006;Eke, Holttum, & Hayward, 2012;Wright & Holttum, 2012). Such studies have been totally absent in the developing country context regardless of the fact that this concept should be of paramount importance as it gives light to both the theoretical directions and practical focuses of research culture building.…”

Research Activity in British Clinical Psychology Training Staff: Do We Lead by Example?

“…Gender identity may also relate to that of researcher (Hicks, 1999). Wright and Holttum (2011) looked at the relationship between gender identity and intention to conduct future research in a sample of trainee clinical psychologists, reporting that masculinity was related to greater intention, mediated by research self-efficacy.…”