title: [Extensions of the outpatient psychotherapy: a study about patient, therapist, treatment, and therapy course characteristics].
abstract: Due to the treatment costs, extensions of the standard therapy duration are a matter of critical examination. This study investigates which factors characterize patients with treatment extensions in the German health system and how effective these extensions are for a reduction of the patients' symptoms. We analysed a disorder heterogeneous sample of 810 patients. We found that therapy extensions are more common among with more severe mental disorders, when the therapeutic relationship is positive, and little therapy success has been achieved during the standard duration. Overall, the findings suggest that outpatient psychotherapy is mainly extended for patients with a low symptom reduction after the standard therapy duration and that therapy extension allows a symptom reduction that could not have been achieved otherwise.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Psychosoziale -Medizin und Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Jena.
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Altmann
authors.affiliation: Fakultät für Angewandte Psychologie, SRH Hochschule Heidelberg.
authors.forename: Andrés
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Steffanowski
authors.affiliation: Otto-Selz-Institut für Angewandte Psychologie, Universität Mannheim.
authors.forename: Werner W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Wittmann
authors.affiliation: Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Bayerns, KVB, München.
authors.forename: Dietmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kramer
authors.affiliation: Psychologische Psychotherapeutin, Feldafing.
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bruckmayer
authors.affiliation: Fachärztin für Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie, München.
authors.forename: Irmgard
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pfaffinger
authors.affiliation: Institut für Psychologie, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, Jena.
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Steyer
authors.affiliation: Institut für Psychosoziale -Medizin und Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Jena.
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Strauß
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult