The Influence of Payment Method on Psychologists' Diagnostic Decisions: Expanding the Range of Presenting Problems

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Abstract
Previous research ( Kielbasa, Pomerantz, Krohn, & Sullivan, 2004 Kielbasa, A. M. , Pomerantz, A. M. , Krohn, E. J. and Sullivan, B. F. 2004. How does clients' method of payment influence psychologists' diagnostic decisions?. Ethics & Behavior, 14: 187–195. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] [Google Scholar] ; Pomerantz & Segrist, 2006 Pomerantz, A. M. and Segrist, D. J. 2006. The influence of payment method on psychologists' diagnostic decisions regarding minimally impaired clients.. Ethics & Behavior, 16: 253–263. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] [Google Scholar] ) indicates that when psychologists consider a client with symptoms of depression or anxiety, payment method significantly influences diagnostic decisions. This study extends the scope of the previous research to consider clients with symptoms of social phobia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Psychologists in independent practice responded to vignettes of clients whose descriptions deliberately included subclinical impairment. Half of the participants were told that the clients would pay via managed care; the other half were told that the clients would pay out-of-pocket. Confirming previous studies, payment method had a highly significant impact on diagnosis such that compared to out-of-pocket clients, managed care clients were much more likely to be assigned Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed. [DSM-IV]; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) diagnoses. Ethical implications relate to informed consent, accuracy and truthfulness in diagnosis, and psychologists' integrity.

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