title: Predictors of psychotherapy alliance in Borderline Personality Disorder.
abstract: To better understand alliance formation with BPD patients, we examined the relationship between pre-treatment patient characteristics and alliance at baseline and 2 months. Thirty-five volunteers who enrolled in a RCT comparing dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and supportive psychotherapy, with or without antidepressant medication in the treatment of suicidal behavior, were included in this analysis. Participants were administered the SCID-I and II, Beck Depression Inventory, Working Alliance Inventory, Beck Hopelessness Scale, and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory.
  
  
  RESULTS
  depression, anxiety and hopelessness predicted poorer patient-rated alliance at 2 months. Depression and anxiety did not correlate with alliance at the start of treatment, but strongly correlated with 2-month alliance, suggesting patient-rated alliance at 2 months was influenced by the course of treatment. Therapist-rated alliance was not associated with either mood or BPD symptoms. Our findings suggest that focusing on BPD patients' mood early in treatment may improve alliance formation.
authors.affiliation: Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA. richran@nyspi.columbia.edu
authors.forename: Randall
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Richardson-Vejlgaard
authors.forename: Carolyn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Broudy
authors.forename: Beth
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brodsky
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fertuck
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Stanley
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001521:Behavior Therapy; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011613:Psychotherapy