PATIENT INTERPERSONAL IMPACTS AND THE EARLY THERAPEUTIC ALLIANCE IN INTERPERSONAL THERAPY FOR DEPRESSION

The therapeutic alliance consistently predicts positive psychotherapy outcomes. Thus, it is important to uncover factors that relate to alliance development. The goal of this study was to examine the association between patient interpersonal characteristics and alliance quality in interpersonal ther...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychotherapy (Chicago, Ill.) Ill.), 2010-09, Vol.47 (3), p.418-424
Main Authors: CONSTANTINO, MICHAEL J, SCHWAIGER, ELIZABETH M, SMITH, JULIANNA Z, DeGEORGE, JOAN, McBRIDE, CAROLINA, RAVITZ, PAULA, ZUROFF, DAVID C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Clinics
Cooperative Behavior
Depression
Depressive Disorder - psychology
Depressive Disorder - therapy
Female
Human
Humans
Interpersonal Influences
Interpersonal Psychotherapy
Interpersonal Relations
Major Depression
Male
Outpatient
Professional-Patient Relations
Psychiatric hospitals
Psychotherapeutic Outcomes
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy - methods
Therapeutic Alliance
Therapeutic alliances
Therapists
Treatment Outcome
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Summary:The therapeutic alliance consistently predicts positive psychotherapy outcomes. Thus, it is important to uncover factors that relate to alliance development. The goal of this study was to examine the association between patient interpersonal characteristics and alliance quality in interpersonal therapy for depression. Data derive from a subsample ( n = 74) of a larger naturalistic database of outpatients treated at a mood disorders clinic of a university-affiliated psychiatric hospital. Following Session 3 of treatment, therapists completed the Impact Message Inventory ( Kiesler & Schmidt, 1993 ) to assess patients' interpersonal impacts on them. Also following Session 3, patients completed the Working Alliance Inventory ( Horvath & Greenberg, 1989 ) to assess alliance quality. As predicted, patients' affiliative interpersonal impacts, as perceived by their therapists, were positively associated with alliance quality, controlling for baseline depression severity. Although unrelated to the initial hypotheses, patients concurrently taking psychotropic medications reported better alliances than patients receiving psychotherapy only.
ISSN:0033-3204
1939-1536
DOI:10.1037/a0021169