[Influence of personality variables on perceived help and stress by group therapy and fellow patients in multimodal psychodynamic inpatient psychotherapy]

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate whether dimensional traits of personality disorder and other aspects of personality had an influence on perceived help and stress by the subsettings of a multimodal psychodynamic inpatient psychotherapy.

Methods: 89 patients of a psychodynamic psychotherapy clinic were investigated. Symptom severity was measured using SCL-R-90 symptom check list and BSS (Impairment Score). A questionnaire for patients' assessment of perceived help and stress by each subsetting of the therapy program was administered weekly. Personality assessment included (1) personality traits related to specific personality disorder as defined by SCID-II interview and questionnaire, (2) interpersonal problems as measured by the IIP, (3) self-related affiliation as measured by SASB-INTREX questionnaire (Introjekt), and (4) psychotrauma as determined by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Therapy outcome measures were: change of SCL-90-R, change of BSS, perceived change in VEV.

Results: Perceived help and stress by the total setting, by inpatient group therapy and by fellow patients were shown to be primarily influenced by personality traits related to DSM-IV clusters of personality disorders, particularly by Cluster-A-related traits. Interpersonal dominance and trauma history had an influence as well.

Conclusion: Perceived help and stress by subsettings of inpatient psychotherapy can be predicted on the basis of several aspects of personality.