[Predictors for patients' starting psychotherapy].

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to discover prognostic criteria for outpatients' making use of psychotherapy. Data from patients and therapists were collected. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: After initial psychoanalytic interviews, 92 patients at a university psychotherapy outpatient department were asked to complete narrative forms and standardized questionnaires (FMP) regarding their motivation to seek psychotherapy. In addition, the therapists contributed a Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) and estimate of the initial therapeutic working alliance (iTAB) for each patient. In the follow-up, we investigated patients' actual use of psychotherapy.
RESULTS: Sociodemographic variables, personality variables, and diagnoses had only minor prognostic relevance, whereas therapists' assessments of patient resources for therapeutic relationship and work proved to be of high predictive value.
CONCLUSION: Positive assessment of a patient's ability for therapeutic working alliance in the initial diagnostic interview is shown to be an important prognostic factor of a patient's entering psychotherapy.