First impressions count: Therapists' impression on patients' motivation and helping alliance predicts psychotherapy dropout.

Objective: With meta-analytically estimated rates of about 25%, dropout in psychotherapies is a major concern for individuals, clinicians, and the healthcare system at large. To be able to counteract dropout in psychotherapy, accurate insights about its predictors are needed.

Method: We compared logistic regression models with two machine learning algorithms (elastic net regressions and gradient boosting machines) in the prediction of therapy dropout in two large inpatient samples ( = 1,691 and  = 12,473) using baseline and initial process variables reported by patients and therapists.

Measuring Change in Attachment Insecurity Using Short Forms of the ECR-R: Longitudinal Measurement Invariance and Sensitivity to Treatment.

Attachment insecurity is important for psychotherapy both as an aspect influencing the therapeutic process as well as potential outcome variable of a treatment. Two German short forms of the Experiences in Close Relationships - Revised (ECR-R) have been proposed to assess individual differences in attachment anxiety and avoidance. In this research, we examined whether these questionnaires are suitable for measuring change in attachment anxiety and avoidance by testing longitudinal measurement invariance in two independent clinical samples ( = 493, = 273) using a pre-post design.

[Personality functioning and physical health].

Considering direct and indirect evidence of associations between deficits in personality functioning and high somatic morbidity, our exploratory study determined whether and, if so, which physical illnesses may be associated with impairments in personality functioning. A large sample of diagnostically heterogeneous psychotherapy inpatients (N = 5401) was assessed with the short version of the Structural Questionnaire of the Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis (OPD-SQS) and the Work Ability Index (WAI). In addition, discharge diagnoses were recorded.

[Attachment predicts changes in the level of personality functioning after psychotherapeutic inpatient treatment].

The relationship between patients' attachment strategies and the effectiveness of psychotherapy is empirically well established. However, studies on outcome measures other than symptomatic change are mostly lacking. The present study investigates if attachment anxiety and avoidance predict changes in personality functioning at the end of inpatient psychotherapy.

Differences by sexual orientation in treatment outcome and satisfaction with treatment among inpatients of a German psychiatric clinic.

A wealth of research suggests that sexual minority individuals experience stigma and lack of sexual minority specific competencies in mental health care, which could lead to less optimal treatment outcome. However, most related research suffers from methodological limitations, such as selected samples, retrospective design, or not assessing treatment outcome. To overcome some of these limitations, we explored if sexual minority patients have poorer treatment outcome and are less satisfied with treatment in a mental health care setting not specialized in sexual minority issues.

[Measurement of Change with the Short Form of the OPD Structure Questionnaire (OPD-SQS)].

The transdiagnostic concept of personality structure plays a key role in psychodynamic nosology, since many mental and psychosocial disorders are considered mainfestations of structural vulnerabilities and deficits. Therefore, structural diagnostics is of particular importance, especially with respect to the planning of tailor-made psychotherapeutic interventions. Because changes in personality structure are increasingly being considered as a relevant therapeutic goal, any measures employed towards achieving this goal should be sensitive enough to capture these changes appropriately.

A psychometric evaluation of the Standardized Assessment of Severity of Personality Disorder (SASPD) in nonclinical and clinical German samples.

The Standardized Assessment of Severity of Personality Disorder (SASPD) is a 9-item self-report screening instrument and was developed to assess personality disorder (PD) severity according to the initial proposal of ICD-11. Our aim was to investigate the psychometric properties of the German version of the SASPD in nonclinical and clinical samples. A total of 1,991 participants ( = 888 from nonclinical and = 1,103 from clinical samples) provided ratings on the SASPD as well as other measures of psychopathology and personality.

[Psychodynamic Oriented Multimodal Therapy for Inpatients with Borderline Personality Disorder: Effectiveness, Response, and Dropout].

Psychodynamically oriented multimodal therapy approaches are efficacious for outpatients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Until now, no study has reported the effectiveness, response, and dropout in a psychodynamic oriented multimodal therapy program for inpatients (PDOMT). In this study, we compared the results of 269 individuals seeking a 3-month inpatient treatment with previous studies for BPD inpatients by examining 269 individuals.

[Treatment Outcome in Female In-Patients with Anorexia nervosa and Comorbid Personality Disorders Prevalence - Therapy Drop out and Weight Gain].

Personality disorders (PD) are among the most common comorbid disorders in female patients with Anorexia Nervosa (AN). Recent research findings suggest that comorbid PD are associated with a higher treatment drop-out rate and a worse therapeutic outcome. However, no study to date has distinguished between certain age groups concerning these issues.

Expanding the Nomological Net of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory: German Validation and Extension in a Clinical Inpatient Sample.

The Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI) is a multidimensional measure for assessing grandiose and vulnerable features in narcissistic pathology. The aim of the present research was to construct and validate a German translation of the PNI and to provide further information on the PNI's nomological net. Findings from a first study confirm the psychometric soundness of the PNI and replicate its seven-factor first-order structure.

[Patterns of dysfunctional parenting styles and psychological disturbances in offspring].

Objectives: Dysfunctional parenting styles represent a risk factor for the development of psychological disturbances. The present study investigated the differential validity of the German language Fragebogen zur Erfassung dysfunktionaler Erziehungsstile (FDEB; Measurement of Parental Styles, MOPS) and determined whether different forms of psychological disorders are associated with specific patterns of parenting styles.

Methods: 145 inpatients, 108 outpatients and a control group of 633 representative individuals from the general population were investigated by adapting the FDEB.

Does a more specified version of the HoNOS (Health of the Nation Outcome Scales) increase psychometric properties of the inventory?

Background: The Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS) is a clinician-rated instrument for the differentiated measurement of severity in patients with mental disorder. Item 8 of the instrument, assessing 'Other mental and behavioral problems', is particularly relevant for patients with affective disorders, anxiety disorders, and eating and personality disorders. However, some studies have shown that the scale possesses unsatisfactory psychometric properties.

The validity of the German version of the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS-D): a clinician-rating for the differential assessment of the severity of mental disorders.

The Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS) is an internationally-established clinician-rating instrument for the differential assessment of the severity of patients with mental disorders. The aim of this study was to examine the validity of the German version of the HoNOS (HoNOS-D). Evaluation of validity, including factor validity, convergent and discriminant validity and sensitivity to change, was conducted on a large, virtually representative, clinical sample of patients with mental disorders in inpatient psychotherapy (Study 1, N = 3169).

Validity of routine clinical DSM-IV diagnoses (Axis I/II) in inpatients with mental disorders.

The assessment of diagnoses is a central issue in the treatment of patients with mental disorders. The aim of this study was to validate routine clinical diagnoses by means of a semi-standardized and structured interview. Semi-standardized and structured interview diagnoses were based on videos of 55 inpatients.

Associations among attachment characteristics, patients' assessment of therapeutic factors, and treatment outcome following inpatient psychodynamic group psychotherapy.

Within a multisite study, including 289 inpatients from six different hospitals who underwent interpersonal-psychodynamic group psychotherapy, associations among attachment characteristics, therapeutic factors, and treatment outcome were investigated. Attachment characteristics were assessed with an interview-based measure (Adult Attachment Prototype Rating [AAPR]) as well as an attachment self-report (Bielefeld Questionnaire of Client Expectations [BQCE]). Therapeutic factors were measured retrospectively with the Dusseldorf Therapeutic Factors Questionnaire and treated as an individual- as well as a hospital-specific characteristic.

[Screening and Measurement of Change of Dissociative Psychopathology: Psychometric Properties of the Short Version of the Fragebogen zu Dissoziativen Symptomen (FDS-20)].

Given the clinical and scientific relevance of dissociative experiences our study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of a short version of the German Dissociative Experience Scale (called FDS-20) as well as its ability to measure changes in dissociation. In a large sample (N = 1289) the FDS- 20 showed good internal consistency. A factor analysis indicated that the scale measures one single factor reflecting the general degree of dissociative psychopathology.