title: [Predictors for patients' starting psychotherapy].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to discover prognostic criteria for outpatients' making use of psychotherapy. Data from patients and therapists were collected.
  
  
  METHODS
  After initial psychoanalytic interviews, 92 patients at a university psychotherapy outpatient department were asked to complete narrative forms and standardized questionnaires (FMP) regarding their motivation to seek psychotherapy. In addition, the therapists contributed a Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) and estimate of the initial therapeutic working alliance (iTAB) for each patient. In the follow-up, we investigated patients' actual use of psychotherapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sociodemographic variables, personality variables, and diagnoses had only minor prognostic relevance, whereas therapists' assessments of patient resources for therapeutic relationship and work proved to be of high predictive value.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Positive assessment of a patient's ability for therapeutic working alliance in the initial diagnostic interview is shown to be an important prognostic factor of a patient's entering psychotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Universitätsklinik für Tiefenpsychologie und Psychotherapie, Medizinische Universität Wien, Osterreich. melitta.fischer-kern@meduniwien.ac.at
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fischer-Kern
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Slunecko
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Leithner
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Löffler-Stastka
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ponocny-Seliger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011379:Prognosis; D011575:Psychoanalytic Therapy / Q000592:standards*; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019233:Retreatment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome
references.citation: Z Psychosom Med Psychoanal. 1988;34(1):32-49
references.pmid: 3358312
references.citation: Psychother Psychosom Med Psychol. 2000 Jul;50(7):292-300
references.pmid: 10941289
references.citation: Z Psychosom Med Psychother. 2000 Oct;46(4):349-67
references.pmid: 11793321
references.citation: Z Psychosom Med Psychoanal. 1994;40(2):128-54
references.pmid: 8036848
references.citation: Psychother Psychosom Med Psychol. 1990 Sep-Oct;40(9-10):369-74
references.pmid: 2243916
references.citation: J Psychosom Obstet Gynaecol. 1997 Sep;18(3):220-8
references.pmid: 9304543
references.citation: Psychother Psychosom Med Psychol. 1996 Sep-Oct;46(9-10):321-6
references.pmid: 8975266
references.citation: Psychother Psychosom Med Psychol. 1998 May;48(5):176-86
references.pmid: 9632953
references.citation: Nervenarzt. 1999 Mar;70(3):240-9
references.pmid: 10231811
references.citation: Psychother Psychosom Med Psychol. 1993 Jun;43(6):193-9
references.pmid: 8351297