The effects of client obesity on clinical judgments made by trainee clinical psychologists

This thesis explores potential weight stigma among trainee clinical psychologists and the potential impact of this upon their clinical decision making. Overall, the thesis is presented as three papers consisting of: 1) a systematic literature review; 2) an empirical research study and; 3) personal reflections and critical evaluation of the issues and processes involved in conducting this research. In Paper one a systematic literature review of weight stigma among mental health professionals (MHPs) was conducted. A small number of papers met inclusion criteria (8 in total) for systematic review, and results revealed significant methodological weaknesses across studies limiting the confidence in findings found. However, the review highlighted that MHPs are not exempt from having weight stigma. The review provided discussion of clinical implications and future research requirements. Paper Two sought to build on the findings from the systematic literature review, so as to further advance and develop our understanding of weight stigma among MHPS, specifically trainee clinical psychologists. The study aimed to assess weight stigma experimentally and to analyse how it may impact clinical judgments made by trainee clinical psychologists. One-hundred and fifty-one trainees completed an online experiment. Results showed trainees hold a moderate degree of weight stigma toward service users who have obesity and this may impact on clinical judgments in several ways. Implications for training were discussed. Paper 3 provides a critical and personal reflective account of conducting two distinct, albeit related, research studies. This paper is subdivided into two sections, with critical appraisal and personal reflections interwoven throughout. The first section of the paper relates to the process and complexities of conducting a systematic review of the literature, while the latter section pertains to the issues that arose during the experimental research process