Pretreatment correlates of the therapeutic bond

Abstract

This study examined the association between pretreatment client characteristics and the therapeutic bond, which is defined as the emotional aspect of the therapeutic alliance. Three types of interpersonal problems and four indicators of emotional distress were measured and compared to the therapeutic bond and its subscales (role investment, empathic resonance, and mutual affirmation) measured early in treatment. Interpersonal problems related to being overly detached were associated with a poorer quality bond and, in particular, with a tendency to feel as if the therapist does not understand what the client is thinking and feeling (lower empathic resonance). Higher levels of distress were correlated negatively with the therapeutic bond. Analyses indicated that interpersonal problems were better predictors of the bond than was distress. The relevance of these findings for practitioners is discussed.

Patient interpersonal factors and the therapeutic alliance in two treatments for bulimia nervosa

“…Overall interpersonal distress, however, was associated with lower alliance quality. In a study of PD treatment of patients with a variety of clinical problems, Saunders (2001) found that interpersonal problems of a detached nature were negatively associated with specific aspects of the patient-rated alliance, including the affective bond, the patient's role investment in the therapy, as well as his or her sense of mutual affiliation with the therapist and ratings of therapist empathy.…”

Therapeutic alliance mediates the relationship between interpersonal problems and depression outcome in a cohort of multiple sclerosis patients

“…Interpersonal problems also have been found to negatively impact outcomes for psychotherapy across therapeutic orientations (Borkovec, Newman, Pincus, & Lytle, 2002;Horowitz, Rosenberg, & Bartholomew, 1993;Markowitz et al, 1996). Furthermore, clients' difficulties in interpersonal functioning have a deleterious effect on the formation of the therapeutic alliance (Muran, Segal, Samstag, & Crawford, 1994;Paivio, 1998;Saunders, 2001). To the best of our knowledge, however, the relationship between problems in interpersonal functioning, therapeutic alliance, and outcome in psychotherapy remains unexamined.…”

Relation entre l'alliance thérapeutique, la santé mentale ainsi que la satisfaction envers la thérapie au cours d'un processus psychothérapeutique chez l'adulte /

“…Ils ont voulu vérifier, entre autres, l'influence de quelques indicateurs de santé mentale sur la formation d'une alliance thérapeutique (Saunders, 2001). Ces études affichent une grande divergence dans leurs conclusions.…”

“…Dans une étude réalisée auprès de 33 hommes souffrant d'anxiété, de dépression ou d'introversion sociale, Moras et Strupp (1982) ont démontré que les relations interpersonnelles sont reliées à la santé psychologique des clients, qui correspond à la somme des évaluations des cliniciens sur la sévérité des problèmes, l'intensité de la détresse subjective (somme des scores sur l'anxiété, la dépression et l'estime de soi) et la (Howgego et al, 2003;Saunders, 2001). En contrepartie, il ne semble pas y avoir de corrélation significative entre l'alliance thérapeutique et la symptomatologie des clients (Gaston et al, 1988;Saunders, 2001).…”

“…En contrepartie, il ne semble pas y avoir de corrélation significative entre l'alliance thérapeutique et la symptomatologie des clients (Gaston et al, 1988;Saunders, 2001). Ainsi, la présente étude cherche à contribuer à l'entreprise de mieux comprendre la relation entre l'alliance thérapeutique et la santé mentale des clients.…”