Interviews (20)

• intro: a clinical interview is a dialogue between a psychologist & patient, designed to help the psychologist diagnose and plan treatment for patients.
• Interview Info AO1:

  •  usually runs for around 50 minutes
  •  clinician asks questions to obtain personal data such as gender or age
  •  gather information on mental/physical health and use a mental status exam to look at behaviours or movements of the patient
  •  In clinical psychology, clinicians use interviews to make a diagnosis, they might use the DSM and ICD to gain knowledge of symptoms or features to allow a conclusion of adiagnosis
• Interview Info AO3:

  •  strength: allow the establishment of treatment plans because the detailed, complex interpersonal interaction between the patient & professional helps achieve an accurate diagnosis
  •  weakness: rely on self report data, client may not be completely honest if they are uncomfortable or if they are conforming to the idea of what they think is right, rather than telling the truth.
• Structured interview AO1:

  •  structured interview - standardised, pre planned questions, where the interviewer won’t deviate from the interview schedule
  •  generate quantitative data using closed questions
  •  In clinical psychology, structured interviews are used for diagnostic purposes whereinterviewers require training & supervision eg Clinical Interview for DSM IV Axis IDisorders which takes approximately 45-90 mins
• Structured interview AO3:

  • strength: practical issues are eliminated due to them being less time consuming in comparison to semi/unstructured, only closed questions are asked which mainly generate a yes/no response.
  •  weakness: standardised procedure, using a predetermined set of questions means the same questions will always be asked.
  •  weakness: structured interviews lack detail because we are unable to gather information about the patient and all the data collected is quantitative which lacks depth, this means a misdiagnosis could be made which could result in the wrong treatment being used.
• Semi-structured interview AO1:

  •  semi structured interview is one which incorporates structured & unstructured aspects.
  •  Interviewers use a plan to help them decide the order / type of questions asked but they can ask for further details/clarification.
  •  In clinical psychology, clinicians use predetermined questions on symptoms to accurately diagnose a disorder, can elaborate on symptoms to ensure the most beneficial treatmentis given.
• Semi-structured interview AO3:

  •  strength: gather both qualitative and quantitative data, provides more insight into symptoms which makes diagnosis of a mental disorder more accurate.
  •  weakness: risk of interviewer bias, the interviewer has more flexibility over questions which means leading questions could be used, responses may lack validity which means a misdiagnosis could be made.
• Unstructured interview AO1:

  •  unstructured interview collects mainly qualitative data and involves asking questions which have not been prepared in advance
  •  no set schedule other than a very general prompt in the direction the interviewer wishes to proceed, allowing for follow up questions. An unbroken conversation is maintained through open ended questions.
  •  clinicians focus on tracking patients, in an initial psychoanalytical clinical interview, free association or dream analysis may be made in order to collect assessment information
• Unstructured interview AO3:

  •  strength: qualitative data is generated through open ended questions which allows specific, detailed information to be gathered, this improves validity because there is more detail surrounding the individual’s feelings or symptoms, so an accurate diagnosis is made & the most effective treatment will be given
  •  weakness: lack reliability because there is no standardised procedure as all of the interviews are unique with no set questions / schedule, this reduces the ability to replicate and check for consistency in diagnosis formulations
• application and alternative: an alternative research method is case formulation. This is where information regarding factors relevant to treatment planning are gathered and considers how the factors fit together to produce the symptoms. This might be better as it is more specific & uses psychological theories to select the most appropriate treatment.However, there are applications as diagnoses can be made using a clinical interview which can be quick and easy if structured, and the correct treatment plan can be decided to improve a patient’s quality of life.