Milwaukee Psychotherapy Expectations Questionnaire: A Replication and Extension

Abstract

The study examined the relationship between client expectations and treatment outcome. The Milwaukee Psychotherapy Expectations Questionnaire (M-PEQ) was given to a normative sample to replicate previous findings and to two clinical samples to extend the measure's clinical usefulness. Questionnaire data was gathered from (a) undergraduates with no treatment exposure, (b) undergraduates with treatment exposure, and (c) a help-seeking sample at intake. Each participant was also asked about their general self-efficacy, state hope, and subjective well-being. Data from the normative undergraduate sample replicated the M-PEQ factor structure, test-retest reliabilities, and internal consistencies, but not the M-PEQ scores. The two clinical samples had similar M-PEQ scores. Bayesian analyses indicating those at risk of attrition, given expectation scores were promising. There are also relationships between expectations and general self-efficacy, state hope, and subjective well-being that are affected by treatment exposure. Lastly, previously cited gender differences in expectations of psychotherapy were not replicated.