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Gender Differences in Outcome of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) Therapy1

The issue of gender differences in benefit from psychotherapy is enigmatic. Although it is generally assumed that women are more empathic, relational, and psychologically minded than men, the majority of studies have failed to confirm the assumption that females benefit more from psychotherapy than males, and that women therapists are more effective than their male counterparts. This lack of empirical confirmation is probably due to a multitude of uncontrolled factors. These include therapist–patient gender combinations, therapists' experience and gender attitudes, patients' diagnoses, issues and developmental level, gender differences in therapy process and gender sensitivity of outcome measurements. Regarding psychotherapeutic method, no studies were found investigating gender differences in outcome of creative arts therapies. In the present study, we have explored gender differences in outcome of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) therapy with a potentially gender sensitive instrument, the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (UP), as well as the symptom checklist –90 (SCL–90) and Sense of coherence (SOC) scale. In these conditions, women benefited more than men in relational aspects measured by the IIP. In the SOC, there were gender differences in subscale effects consistent with current assumptions of gender roles. There was also support for the observation that men have a higher threshold for seeking psychotherapeutic treatment. The findings encourage the development of a more multi–faceted perspective on how the gender dimension can help to improve the fit in the therapeutic relationship and improve the client's benefit of the treatment.