title: Course of life satisfaction in patients with depressive and addictive disorders after therapeutic intervention.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyse the course of life satisfaction during the clinic stay of patients with depressive and/or addictive disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a cohort study, 199 patients with depressive and addictive diseases were asked to complete a series of questionnaires at the start and the end of their psychotherapeutic treatment (on average 4.2 ± 2.3 weeks later). The questionnaires were the Brief Multidimensional Life Satisfaction Scale (BMLSS), the Positive Life Construction/Contentedness/Well-Being Scale from the ERDA (Emotional/Rational Disease Acceptance) questionnaire, Beck's Depression Inventory and the revised Symptom Checklist (SCL-90-R).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The psychotherapeutic interventions improved the clinical situation of the patients and resulted in strong effects with respect to positive life construction (d = 1.07) and moderate effects on life satisfaction (d = 0.71). Stronger effects were noted in patients with depressive disorders (d = 0.80) than in patients with addictive disorders (d = 0.69). Regression analyses revealed that pre-treatment life satisfaction can be explained negatively by an escape-avoidance strategy (Escape from Illness), and positively by positive life construction. In contrast, post-treatment life satisfaction can be explained negatively by psychological distress and depression, and positively by positive life construction and living with a partner.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The hypothesis that life satisfaction changes are associated with the clinical situation of patients was confirmed. In particular, patients with depressive disorders profited from the psychotherapeutic interventions.
authors: Centre for Integrative Medicine, University Witten, Herdecke, Germany. arndt.buessing@uni-wh.de
authors: Arndt
authors: A
authors: Büssing
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Heusser
authors: Götz
authors: G
authors: Mundle
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D057189:Checklist; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires