Assaultive Behavior Intervention in the Veterans Administration: Psychodynamic Group Psychotherapy Compared to Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Abstract

PURPOSE. To compare the efficacy of a psychodynamic psychotherapy group (PPG) and a cognitive-behavior group (CBG) for male veterans with a history of assault. METHODS. Data collected included the Addiction Severity Index, the Overt Aggression Scale, and the State-Trait Anger Expression Invent0 y. Subjects (N = 27) were assigned randomly to a central group, PPG, or CBG. Analyses included an overall comparison of the groups as well as repeated-measures analyses and adjustments for covariates. FINDINGS. The PPG showed a trend toward improvement of overt aggression and significant improvement of trait aggression compared with CBG. There were no differences in state aggression or efforts to control aggression. CONCLUSIONS. Both the PPG and CBG are efective treatments for aggression.

Report on a Systematic Review of the Efficacy and Clinical Effectiveness of Group Analysis and Analytic/Dynamic Group Psychotherapy

“…double blinding) were inappropriate (Lackner et al, 2004). The five RCTs were rated using this quality rating system and the results suggest one trial (Lanza et al, 2002) was of noticeably poorer quality than the other four of moderate to good quality.…”

A pilot study of clonazepam versus psychodynamic group therapy plus clonazepam in the treatment of generalized social anxiety disorder

“…Although psychodynamic psychotherapy has been shown in other disorders [8,34,43,45,59], there is only one published study suggesting its efficacy in GSAD [33]. In a recent study thirty patients were randomized to PGT or to a control group for 12 weeks in order to evaluate the efficacy of PGT.…”

“…Most of what is known about psychoanalytic treatment for GSAD comes from case reports or uncontrolled studies [21,31,35,55]. Although psychodynamic psychotherapy has been shown in other disorders [8,34,43,45,59], there is only one published study suggesting its efficacy in GSAD [33]. In a recent study 30 patients were randomized to psychodynamic group therapy (PGT) or to a control group for 12 weeks in order to evaluate the efficacy of PGT.…”

The persistence of magic and religion in contemporary medicine and psychotherapy

“…Any benefit disappeared 1 to 22 weeks after the group ended?● Lanza et al, 2002 compared psychodynamic group therapy with group cognitive behaviour therapy for reducing aggression and violence in male veterans with a history of assault. With a small sample size (n=10) the degree of improvement was not statistically significant for either therapy and there was no significant difference in outcome between the psychodynamic group and the CBT control, although the rate of improvement was better in the psychodynamic group.…”