| 1. |
- Andersson, Christina, et al.
(author)
-
Cultivating Compassion and Reducing Stress and Mental Ill-Health in Employees : A Randomized Controlled Study
- 2022
-
In: Frontiers in Psychology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-1078. ; 12
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Stress and mental ill-health carry considerable costs for both individuals and organizations. Although interventions targeting compassion and self-compassion have been shown to reduce stress and benefit mental health, related research in organizational settings is limited. We investigated the effects of a 6-week psychological intervention utilizing compassion training on stress, mental health, and self-compassion. Forty-nine employees of two organizations were randomly assigned to either the intervention (n = 25) or a physical exercise control condition (n = 24). Multilevel growth models showed that stress (p = 0.04) and mental ill-health (p = 0.02) decreased over 3 months in both groups (pre-intervention to follow-up: Cohen’s d = −0.46 and d = 0.33, respectively), while self-compassion only increased in the intervention group (p = 0.03, between group d = 0.53). There were no significant effects on life satisfaction in any of the groups (p > 0.53). The findings show promising results regarding the ability of compassion training within organizations to decrease stress and mental ill-health and increase self-compassion.
|
|
| 2. |
|
|
| 3. |
|
|
| 4. |
- Johansson, Robert, et al.
(author)
-
Internet-based affect-focused psychodynamic therapy for social anxiety disorder : A randomized controlled trial with 2-year follow-up
- 2017
-
In: Psychotherapy. - : American Psychological Association (APA). - 0033-3204 .- 1939-1536. ; 54:4, s. 351-360
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is associated with considerable individual suffering and societal costs. Although there is ample evidence for the efficacy of cognitive behavior therapy, recent studies suggest psychodynamic therapy may also be effective in treating SAD. Furthermore, Internet-based psychodynamic therapy (IPDT) has shown promising results for addressing mixed depression and anxiety disorders. However, no study has yet investigated the effects of IPDT specifically for SAD. This paper describes a randomized controlled trial testing the efficacy of a 10-week, affect-focused IPDT protocol for SAD, compared with a wait-list control group. Long-term effects were also estimated by collecting follow-up data, 6, 12, and 24 months after the end of therapy. A total of 72 individuals meeting diagnostic criteria for DSM–IV social anxiety disorder were included. The primary outcome was the self-report version of Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale. Mixed model analyses using the full intention-to-treat sample revealed a significant interaction effect of group and time, suggesting a larger effect in the treatment group than in the wait-list control. A between-group effect size Cohen’s d = 1.05 (95% [CI]: [0.62, 1.53]) was observed at termination. Treatment gains were maintained at the 2-year follow-up, as symptom levels in the treated group continued to decrease significantly. The findings suggest that Internet-based affect-focused psychodynamic therapy is a promising treatment for social anxiety disorder.
|
|
| 5. |
- Lilliengren, Peter, et al.
(author)
-
Comparing the Treatment Process in Successful and Unsuccessful Cases in Two Forms of Psychotherapy for Cluster C Personality Disorders
- 2019
-
In: Psychotherapy. - : American Psychological Association (APA). - 0033-3204 .- 1939-1536. ; 56:2, s. 285-296
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Different forms of psychotherapy are effective for cluster C personality disorders, but we know less about what in-session processes promote change. Contrasting successful and unsuccessful cases may elucidate processes that facilitate or impede outcome and offer suggestions for clinical practice and future research. In this exploratory outcome-process study, 10 successful and 10 unsuccessful cases were selected from a randomized trial comparing cognitive therapy and short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy for cluster C personality disorders. Videotaped sessions were rated with the Psychotherapy Process Q-Set (PQS). The treatments were compared in terms of which PQS items differentiated successful and unsuccessful cases, as well as their resemblance with PQS prototypes of ideal treatments. Therapists' behavior in early sessions was also explored. Results indicate that successful cases in our sample were characterized by a more active and engaged patient. In contrast, unsuccessful cases were characterized by a more directive or controlling therapist stance. Correlations with PQS prototypes were moderate to strong in both successful and unsuccessful cases, suggesting that optimal and suboptimal interpersonal processes may be independent of adherence to particular treatments. Exploration of therapist behaviors in early sessions indicated that therapists were more likely to adjust their way of working in the successful cases. Our result suggests that patient engagement and therapists' early efforts to improve the therapy relationship may be pivotal for successful outcome, whereas therapist controlling behavior may obstruct the treatment process, regardless of therapy model used. The impact of these in-session processes should be examined more closely in larger samples in future studies.
|
|
| 6. |
- Lilliengren, Peter, 1972-, et al.
(author)
-
Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy for generalized anxiety disorder : A pilot effectiveness and process-outcome study
- 2017
-
In: Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy. - : Wiley. - 1063-3995 .- 1099-0879. ; 24:6, s. 1313-1321
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical- and cost-effectiveness of Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). We further aimed to examine if a key clinical process within the ISTDP framework, termed the level of mobilization of unprocessed complex emotions (MUCE), was related to outcome. The sample consisted of 215 adult patients (60.9% female) with GAD and comorbid conditions treated in a tertiary mental health outpatient setting. The patients were provided an average of 8.3 sessions of ISTDP delivered by 38 therapists. The level of MUCE in treatment was assessed from videotaped sessions by a rater blind to treatment outcome. Year-by-year healthcare costs were derived independently from government databases. Multilevel growth models indicated significant decreases in psychiatric symptoms and interpersonal problems during treatment. These gains were corroborated by reductions in healthcare costs that continued for 4years post-treatment reaching normal population means. Further, we found that the in-treatment level of MUCE was associated with larger treatment effects, underlining the significance of emotional experiencing and processing in the treatment of GAD. We conclude that ISTDP appears to reduce symptoms and costs associated with GAD and that the ISTDP framework may be useful for understanding key therapeutic processes in this challenging clinical population. Controlled studies of ISTDP for GAD are warranted.
|
|
| 7. |
- Lilliengren, Peter, et al.
(author)
-
Secure attachment to therapist, alliance, and outcome in psychoanalytic psychotherapy with young adults
- 2015
-
In: Journal of counseling psychology. - : American Psychological Association (APA). - 0022-0167 .- 1939-2168. ; 62:1, s. 1-13
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Using a novel approach to assess attachment to therapist from patient narratives (Patient Attachment to Therapist Rating Scale; PAT-RS), we investigated the relationships between secure attachment to therapist, patient-rated alliance, and outcome in a sample of 70 young adults treated with psychoanalytic psychotherapy. A series of linear mixed-effects models, controlling for length of therapy and therapist effects, indicated that secure attachment to therapist at termination was associated with improvement in symptoms, global functioning and interpersonal problems. After controlling for the alliance, these relationships were maintained in terms of symptoms and global functioning. Further, for the follow-up period, we found a suppression effect indicating that secure attachment to therapist predicted continued improvement in global functioning whereas the alliance predicted deterioration when both variables were modeled together. While limited by the correlational design, this study suggests that the development of a secure attachment to therapist is associated with treatment gains as well as predictive of post-treatment improvement in functioning. Future research should investigate the temporal development of attachment to therapist and its interaction with alliance and outcome more closely. To ensure differentiation from patient-rated alliance, observer-based measurement of attachment to therapist should be considered.
|
|
| 8. |
- Lindqvist, Karin, et al.
(author)
-
Affect-Focused Psychodynamic Internet-Based Therapy for Adolescent Depression : Randomized Controlled Trial
- 2020
-
In: Journal of Medical Internet Research. - Toronto, ON, Canada : JMIR Publications Inc.. - 1438-8871. ; 22:3
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Adolescent depression is one of the largest health issues in the world and there is a pressing need for effective and accessible treatments.Objective: This trial examines whether affect-focused internet-based psychodynamic therapy (IPDT) with therapist support is more effective than an internet-based supportive control condition on reducing depression in adolescents.Methods: The trial included 76 adolescents (61/76, 80% female; mean age 16.6 years), self-referred via an open access website and fulfilling criteria for major depressive disorder. Adolescents were randomized to 8 weeks of IPDT (38/76, 50%) or supportive control (38/76, 50%). The primary outcome was self-reported depressive symptoms, measured with the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology for Adolescents (QIDS-A17-SR). Secondary outcomes were anxiety severity, emotion regulation, self-compassion, and an additional depression measure. Assessments were made at baseline, postassessment, and at 6 months follow-up, in addition to weekly assessments of the primary outcome measure as well as emotion regulation during treatment.Results: IPDT was significantly more effective than the control condition in reducing depression (d=0.82, P=.01), the result of which was corroborated by the second depression measure (d=0.80, P<.001). IPDT was also significantly more effective in reducing anxiety (d=0.78, P<.001) and increasing emotion regulation (d=0.97, P<.001) and self-compassion (d=0.65, P=.003). Significantly more patients in the IPDT group compared to the control group met criteria for response (56% vs 21%, respectively) and remission (35% vs 8%, respectively). Results on depression and anxiety symptoms were stable at 6 months follow-up. On average, participants completed 5.8 (SD 2.4) of the 8 modules.Conclusions: IPDT may be an effective intervention to reduce adolescent depression. Further research is needed, including comparisons with other treatments.Trial Registration: International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN) 16206254; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN16206254
|
|
| 9. |
- Maroti, Daniel, et al.
(author)
-
Internet-based emotional awareness and expression therapy for somatic symptom disorder : A randomized controlled trial
- 2022
-
In: Journal of Psychosomatic Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-3999 .- 1879-1360. ; 163
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: Somatic symptom disorder (SSD) is commonly encountered in health care settings. Cognitive-behavioural treatments have been most extensively studied, but they tend to have small effects of temporary duration. Emotional awareness and expression therapy (EAET) is a newly developed treatment for SSD, targeting emotional processing of trauma and conflict as a mechanism of symptom change. In an earlier uncontrolled study of self-guided, internet-administrated EAET (I-EAET), we found substantial reductions in somatic symptoms, prompting the need for a randomized controlled trial of I-EAET.Methods: We conducted a 2-arm RCT, comparing 10-week I-EAET (n = 37) to a waitlist control (WL; n = 37). Primary outcomes were reductions of somatic symptoms (PHQ-15) and pain intensity (BPI-4) at post-treatment, with a 4-month evaluation of effect duration. We also analysed emotional processing (EPS-25) and depression (PHQ-9) as possible mediators of I-EAET's effects.Results: Compared to controls, I-EAET significantly reduced somatic symptoms at both post-treatment and follow-up. I-EAET also reduced pain, depression, insomnia, and anxiety at post-treatment, but these effects were not retained at follow-up. As hypothesized, a facet of emotional processing partially mediated the treatment effect on somatic symptoms, even when controlling for depression.Conclusions: Although treatment effects were smaller than in the previous uncontrolled trial, I-EAET is a promising treatment for SSD, with a minority of patients (around 20%) experiencing substantial clinical improvement. The benefits of I-EAET are partially mediated by improved emotional processing. Future research should identify and target patients who respond best to I-EAET and develop tailored treatment to enhance treatment effects.
|
|
| 10. |
- Mechler, Jakob, et al.
(author)
-
Internet-based psychodynamic versus cognitive behaviour therapy for adolescents with depression : study protocol for a non-inferiority randomized controlled trial (the ERiCA study)
- 2020
-
In: Trials. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1745-6215. ; 21:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Adolescent depression is a common mental health problem and there is an urgent need for effective and accessible treatments. Internet-based interventions solve many obstacles for seeking and receiving treatment, thus increasing access to effective treatments. Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (ICBT) for adolescent depression has demonstrated efficacy in previous trials. In order to broaden the range of evidence-based treatments for young people, we evaluated a newly developed affect-focused Internet-based psychodynamic treatment (IPDT) in a previous study with promising results. The purpose of the planned study is to evaluate the efficacy of IPDT for adolescent depression in a non-inferiority trial, comparing it to ICBT.Methods: The study will employ a parallel randomized non-inferiority design (ratio 1:1; n = 270). Eligible participants are adolescents 15–19 years suffering from depression. The primary hypothesis is that IPDT will be non-inferior to ICBT in reducing depressive symptoms from pre-treatment to end of treatment. Secondary research questions include comparing outcomes of IPDT and ICBT regarding anxiety symptoms, emotion regulation and self-compassion. Additional data will be collected to evaluate cost-effectiveness as well as investigating predictors, moderators and mediators of outcome. In addition, we will examine long-term outcome up to 1 year after end of treatment. Diagnostic interviews with MINI 7.0 will be used to establish primary diagnosis of depression as well as ruling out any exclusion criteria. Both treatments consist of eight modules over 10 weeks, complemented with therapist support through text messages and weekly chat sessions. Primary outcome measure is the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology in Adolescents Self-Rated (QIDS-A17-SR). Primary outcome will be analysed using data from all participants entering the study using a multilevel growth curve strategy based on the weekly measurements of QIDS-A17-SR. The non-inferiority margin is defined as d = 0.30.Discussion: This trial will demonstrate whether IPDT is non-inferior to ICBT in the treatment of adolescent depression. The study might therefore broaden the range of evidence-based treatment alternatives for young people struggling with depression. Further analyses of data from this trial may increase our knowledge about “what works for whom” and the pathways of change for two distinct types of interventions.Trial registration: ISRCTN12552584, Registered on 13 August 2019.
|
|
