Tolerance of Ambiguity, Perfectionism, and Counselling Self-Efficacy Among Trainee Counsellors in India

Background

The presence of a wide gap between the need and availability of mental health counsellors has been a constant challenge in the Indian mental healthcare system. Considering the inherent complexity within the counselling profession and with literature evidence indicating that the fear stemming from the ambiguity of the counselling process, professional requirements, and internship experiences influences counsellors’ career decisions, it becomes crucial to focus on important factors at play.

Methods

This research aimed to investigate the relationships between tolerance of ambiguity, perfectionism, and counselling self-efficacy among trainee counsellors in India. A quantitative correlational cross-sectional design is employed. The participants constitute post-graduate students pursuing their final year of master's in counselling psychology, counselling specialization or applied psychology programmes. Participants were recruited using a purposive sampling technique (N = 435). The scales administered are as follows: (i) Multiple Stimulus Types Ambiguity Tolerance Scale-II (MSTAT-II), (ii) Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS) and (iii) Counsellor Activity Self-Efficacy Scale (CASES).

Findings

The findings indicate that intolerance of ambiguity significantly correlates negatively with counselling self-efficacy, as demonstrated by Pearson correlation analysis (r = −0.254, p < 0.001). Regression results showed that tolerance of ambiguity significantly predicted 6% of counselling self-efficacy. Furthermore, an independent samples t-test indicated gender differences, with female trainee counsellors (M = 37.6; SD = 6.84) having a higher tolerance of ambiguity than males (M = 34.9; SD = 6.85); and male trainee counsellors (M = 256.3; SD = 47.36) having higher counselling self-efficacy than females (M = 219.2; SD = 55.11), with a medium to large effect size.

Discussion

This study has implications for counsellor training and allows for a deeper understanding of counsellor self-efficacy, providing insight into the current status of counselling trainees in India. Efforts should be taken to reduce ambiguity in educational and training experiences and improve tolerance and self-efficacy among male and female trainees.