Focus in psychodynamic group therapy

• Published in: Nordic psychology 2006-01, Vol.58 (3), p.248-261
• Main Authors: Lotz, Martin, Henrik Jensen, Hans
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1901-2276; 1904-0016
• DOI: 10.1027/1901-2276.58.3.248

The effect of psychodynamic focus allocated to two structural levels (high and low) is examined in 139 patients in 39-session psychoanalytic group psychotherapy. The influence of focusing upon pre-posttreatment symptomatic changes is weighted towards the influence of two distinct levels of pathology (high and low). Neurotic patients with high level focus were predicted to have the most favourable pre-posttreatment symptomatic improvement and end-state status according to the SCL-90-R subscales and Global Severity Index. However, neurotic patients with low level focus, and personality disorder patients with high level focus (44% of the patients) had the most favourable symptomatic improvement after controlling for pretreatment levels, and they obtained the overall most favourable effect-sizes. Depression and anxiety scales had the largest total sample effect-sizes, but improvement in "negative affect" was related to neither focus nor diagnoses. It is suggested that increased maladjustment according to the SCL-90-R and the MCMI-II personality disorder scales might have influenced the focus agreed upon prior to therapy, resulting in "asymmetry" between level of diagnosis and focus. This asymmetry, however, may be optimal for the patients in question.