A meta-analysis of the effects of role induction in psychotherapy.

Role induction is a pantheoretical method that can be used in the initial phase of psychotherapy to prepare patients for treatment. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to examine the effects of role induction on treatment dropout, and immediate, mid-, and posttreatment outcomes for adult individual psychotherapy patients. A total of 17 studies were identified that met all inclusion criteria. Data from these studies indicate that role induction has a positive impact on reducing premature termination ( = 15, = 1.64, = .03, ² = 56.39) and improving immediate within-session outcomes ( = 8, = 0.64, < .01, ² = 88.80) and posttreatment outcomes ( = 8, = 0.33, < .01, ² = 39.89). However, role induction did not show a significant impact on midtreatment outcomes ( = 5, = 0.26, = .30, ² = 71.03). Results from moderator analyses are also presented. Training implications and therapeutic practices based on this research are also discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).