title: Initial clinical interaction and premature discontinuance in treatment.
abstract: This exploratory study suggests that continuance of the therapeutic relationship is more the responsibility of the clinician than of the patient. Two interactional variables--stimulus-response congruence and content relevance--were operationalized and their effect on patient continuance tested. Results suggest that, as indicators of viability of the treatment relationship, these variables may be purposefully employed to control for patient continuance.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008875:Middle Aged; D010352:Patient Dropouts; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011613:Psychotherapy; D014705:Verbal Behavior