title: Self-esteem and interpersonal functioning in psychiatric outpatients.
abstract: This study explored associations between self-esteem and interpersonal functioning in a one-year clinic cohort of psychiatric outpatients (n= 338). At intake, patients completed questionnaires measuring self-esteem, interpersonal problems, interpersonal style, and general symptomatic distress. They were also diagnosed according to the ICD-10. Interpersonal behaviour was measured along the agency and communion dimensions of the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems-Circumplex [IIP-C]. The results show that lower self-esteem was associated with higher levels of interpersonal problems in general. Further, lower self-esteem was first and foremost linked to frustrated agentic motives, as measured by the IIP-C. Hence, the study concludes that fostering patient agency should be considered as an important goal in psychotherapy. Furthermore, the analyses revealed an interaction effect of agency and communion on self-esteem, indicating a need for balancing the two motive dimensions. Finally, some questions are raised concerning the interpretation of the IIP-C subscales in general.
authors.affiliation: Division of Psychiatry, Stord Hospital, Stord, Norway. jofrid.bjorkvik@helse-fonna.no
authors.forename: Jofrid
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bjørkvik
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Biringer
authors.forename: Ole-Johan
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Eikeland
authors.forename: Geir Høstmark
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Nielsen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D004291:Dominance-Subordination; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D009664:Norway; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012929:Psychological Distance; D012649:Self Concept; D012919:Social Behavior