OBJECTIVE: Developments in working alliance theory posit that the therapist's attention to fluctuations in the alliance throughout treatment is crucial. Accordingly, researchers have begun studying the alliance as a time-varying mechanism of change rather than as a static moderator. However, most studies to date suffer from bias owing to the nonindependence of error term and predictors (endogeneity). METHOD: Patients with major depressive disorder (N = 84) from a randomized trial comparing cognitive-behavioral therapy with interpersonal psychotherapy filled out the Beck Depression Inventory-II before each session. After each session, patients and therapists filled out the Working Alliance Inventory short forms. Data were analyzed using the generalized method of moments for dynamic panel data, a method commonly applied in econometrics to eliminate endogeneity bias. RESULTS: Improvement of the alliance predicted significant reduction of depressive symptoms by the next session (patient rating: b = -4.35, SE = 1.96, p = .026, 95% confidence interval [CI] [-8.19, -0.51]; therapist rating: b = -4.92, SE = 1.84, p = .008, 95% CI [-8.53, -1.31]). In addition, there was a significant delayed effect on the session after the next (patient rating: b = -3.25, SE = 1.20, p = .007, 95% CI [-5.61, -0.89]; therapist rating: b = -5.44, SE = 1.92, p = .005, 95% CI [-9.20, -1.68]). CONCLUSION: If the quality of patient-therapist alliance is improved in a given treatment session, depressive symptoms will likely decrease by the next session. The most important limitation of this study is its relatively small sample size. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).
RCT Entities:
OBJECTIVE: Developments in working alliance theory posit that the therapist's attention to fluctuations in the alliance throughout treatment is crucial. Accordingly, researchers have begun studying the alliance as a time-varying mechanism of change rather than as a static moderator. However, most studies to date suffer from bias owing to the nonindependence of error term and predictors (endogeneity). METHOD:Patients with major depressive disorder (N = 84) from a randomized trial comparing cognitive-behavioral therapy with interpersonal psychotherapy filled out the Beck Depression Inventory-II before each session. After each session, patients and therapists filled out the Working Alliance Inventory short forms. Data were analyzed using the generalized method of moments for dynamic panel data, a method commonly applied in econometrics to eliminate endogeneity bias. RESULTS: Improvement of the alliance predicted significant reduction of depressive symptoms by the next session (patient rating: b = -4.35, SE = 1.96, p = .026, 95% confidence interval [CI] [-8.19, -0.51]; therapist rating: b = -4.92, SE = 1.84, p = .008, 95% CI [-8.53, -1.31]). In addition, there was a significant delayed effect on the session after the next (patient rating: b = -3.25, SE = 1.20, p = .007, 95% CI [-5.61, -0.89]; therapist rating: b = -5.44, SE = 1.92, p = .005, 95% CI [-9.20, -1.68]). CONCLUSION: If the quality of patient-therapist alliance is improved in a given treatment session, depressive symptoms will likely decrease by the next session. The most important limitation of this study is its relatively small sample size. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).
Authors: Nili Solomonov; Fredrik Falkenström; Bernard S Gorman; Kevin S McCarthy; Barbara Milrod; Marie G Rudden; Dianne L Chambless; Jacques P Barber Journal: Psychother Res Date: 2019-03-01
Authors: Alexander Miloff; Per Carlbring; William Hamilton; Gerhard Andersson; Lena Reuterskiöld; Philip Lindner Journal: J Med Internet Res Date: 2020-03-24 Impact factor: 5.428