title: Do baseline client characteristics predict the therapeutic alliance in the treatment of schizophrenia?
abstract: This study examined clinical predictors of client and therapist alliance ratings early in therapy, the relationship between client and therapist alliance ratings, and the psychometric properties of the Working Alliance Inventory in individuals with schizophrenia receiving manual-based treatment. Assessment of clinical symptoms and social functioning were conducted at baseline, and alliance ratings were obtained at 5 weeks. The Working Alliance Inventory had high internal consistency, but there were low correlations between client and therapist ratings. Results also indicated that social functioning and the activation and autistic preoccupation factors on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale were significant predictors of therapists' alliance ratings. There were no significant relationships between clinical predictors and clients' therapeutic alliance ratings. The findings indicate that client interpersonal factors are significant predictors of the therapist-rated alliance in the treatment of schizophrenia. Low correlations between clients' and therapists' ratings of the alliance should be examined in future research.
authors.affiliation: University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3270, USA.
authors.forename: Shannon M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Couture
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Penn
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cather
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Otto
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Goff
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011379:Prognosis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D013811:Psychotherapeutic Processes; D011613:Psychotherapy; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012917:Social Adjustment; D016896:Treatment Outcome