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. 2023 Jan;30(1):64-72.
doi: 10.1002/cpp.2769. Epub 2022 Jul 6.

Change processes in psychotherapy for patients presenting with histrionic personality disorder

Anna Babl  1   2 , Juan Martín Gómez Penedo  3 , Thomas Berger  2 , Noemi Schneider  2 , Rainer Sachse  4 , Ueli Kramer  5   6
Affiliations

Change processes in psychotherapy for patients presenting with histrionic personality disorder

Anna Babl et al. Clin Psychol Psychother. 2023 Jan.

Abstract

Objective: Histrionic personality disorder (HPD) with a lifetime prevalence rate of 1.8% is an under-researched psychiatric diagnosis. The present study therefore aimed to investigate both the processes and outcomes of psychotherapy for HPD in a non-controlled study.

Methods: A total of 159 patients diagnosed with HPD were recruited and received clarification-oriented psychotherapy. Sessions 15, 20, and 25 were video-recorded and analysed using the Process-Content-Relationship Scale. Therapy outcome was assessed with symptom measures at intake and discharge. Hierarchical linear modelling was applied to estimate the changes in the psychotherapeutic outcome and associations with patient and therapist process developments.

Results: Improvements in relationship processes of patients and therapists were systematically related to outcome while only partial relationships were found on the levels of process and content.

Conclusion: The present study represents the first systematic insight into core changes in patients with HPD undergoing psychotherapy.

Keywords: clarification-oriented psychotherapy; hierarchical linear modelling; histrionic personality disorder; mechanisms of change; process-outcome study.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Clarification‐oriented psychotherapy model of histrionic personality disorder
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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