title: Adolescent insight within the working alliance: A bridge between diagnostic and psychotherapeutic processes.
abstract: In the literature it has been stressed how important it is during consultation interviews to evaluate an adolescent's insight with a view to starting psychotherapeutic work. Motivated adolescents bring to the therapeutic effort a real, interiorized request for help and can start moving towards a change. The aim of this study is to assess the insight of adolescents with mental disorders during the diagnostic process and to analyze how this relates to further therapeutic compliance and clinical evolution. The study included 55 adolescents, 35 males and 20 females aged between 11 and 19 years, who were advised to receive psychotherapeutic treatment after a diagnostic procedure. Patient insight was assessed at the beginning and end of the diagnostic process. Then, six months later, a clinical interview assessed their therapeutic compliance and clinical evolution. The findings suggest that insight is important when working with adolescents because it influences both therapeutic compliance and clinical outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gatta
authors.affiliation: Department of General Psychology, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spoto
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychiatric Unit for Children and Adolescents, Azienda ULSS 16, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Testa
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychiatric Unit for Children and Adolescents, Azienda ULSS 16, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Lorenza
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Svanellini
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychiatric Unit for Children and Adolescents, Azienda ULSS 16, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychiatric Unit for Children and Adolescents, Azienda ULSS 16, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salis
authors.affiliation: Brent Centre For Young People, London, UK.
authors.forename: Maxim
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Sauma
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychiatric Unit for Children and Adolescents, Azienda ULSS 16, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Pier Antonio
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Battistella
keywords: adolescence; insight; outcome; therapeutic alliance; therapeutic compliance