title: Effects of Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy on Depressive Symptoms and Executive Functioning in Major Depression.
abstract: This study examined the efficacy of intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy (ISTDP) on depressive symptoms and executive functioning in patients with major depression. We examined pretest, posttest, and follow-up depression scores as well as pretest-posttest executive functioning scores between 16 participants receiving ISTDP and 16 allocated to wait-list control. Participants in each group were matched according to age, sex, and educational level. Mixed-models analyses demonstrated significant interaction effects of group and time on depression scores when the group ISTDP was compared with the wait-list control group; participants receiving ISTDP had significantly reduced depression severity both after treatment and at follow-up. Next, a series of hierarchical regression models demonstrated modest improvements on most tests of executive functioning in participants receiving ISTDP. Depressed patients receiving ISTDP show a sustained reduction in depression severity after treatment and after 12-month follow-up and improvements in executive functioning after treatment compared with a wait-list control.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Psychology, Faculty of Human Science, Sciences & Research Branch, Islamic Azad University (IAU); †Department of Psychology, Faculty of Human Science, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran; and ‡Department of Psychiatry, and §Centre for Emotions & Health, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.
authors.forename: Bita
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ajilchi
authors.forename: Vahid
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nejati
authors.forename: Joel M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Town
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Allan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abbass
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011614:Psychotherapy, Brief / Q000379:methods*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult