Depression
Conditions
Keywords
competence-feedback
Brief summary
In a randomized controlled study design, n = 58 treatments of patients with depression were to be conducted under a feedback-condition, in which the therapist would receive feedback five times within 20 treatment sessions. The competence-feedback includes detailed feedback about 14 different aspects of therapist behavior. The control group includes n = 58 further treatments within which therapists do not receive any competence-feedback (treatment as usual; TAU).
Detailed description
Psychotherapeutic competencies are considered to be an important factor for therapy success. However, empirical studies which have investigated the competence-outcome relationship were only based on correlational analyses. Therefore, these studies are inappropriate for the investigation of causal relationships. In previous studies, feedback on therapists' competencies was found to be suitable for enhancing such competencies. Therefore, in the current research project, competence-feedback should be used to enhance therapeutic competencies systematically, in order to investigate the causal impact of these competencies on therapy outcome. Using a randomized controlled study design, n = 58 treatments of patients with depression were to be conducted under a feedback-condition, in which the therapist would receive feedback five times within 20 treatment sessions. The competence-feedback includes detailed feedback about 14 different aspects of therapist behavior. The control group includes n = 58 further treatments within which therapists do not receive any competence-feedback (treatment as usual; TAU). In order to ensure comparability of both treatment conditions (regarding an observation situation), the therapists in the TAU condition should also receive feedback, but only after the treatments are finished. We hypothesize that the feedback-group is superior to the TAU-group and that their treatments lead to significantly better therapy outcome. Moreover, we use mediator analysis to analyze whether the group-outcome relationship is mediated by therapeutic competencies or by the quality of the therapeutic alliance. The results are highly relevant for clinical process research, psychotherapy training and for the dissemination of treatment approaches in routine care.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALcompetence-feedback
competence-feedback
OTHERcontrol
control group without competence-feedback
Sponsors
University of Potsdam
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
THERAPISTS Inclusion Criteria: * Having successfully completed the interim Audit * Having started to treat ambulant patients
Exclusion criteria
\--- PATIENTS Inclusion Criteria: * Clinical diagnosis of Major Depression (Meeting DSM-IV criteria) * Informed consent
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI II) | participants will be followed for the duration of psychotherapy, an expected average of 20 weeks | self-report measure to assess depressive symptoms |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP-C) | participants will be followed for the duration of psychotherapy, an expected average of 20 weeks | self-report instrument to identify a person's salient interpersonal difficulties based on the interpersonal circumplex model |
| Health-related quality of life (SF-12) | participants will be followed for the duration of psychotherapy, an expected average of 20 weeks | self-report measure to assess health-related quality of life |
| Client Satisfaction Questionaire (CSQ8) | participants will be followed for the duration of psychotherapy, an expected average of 20 weeks | self-report measure to assess satisfaction with therapy |
| Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-17) | participants will be followed for the duration of psychotherapy, an expected average of 20 weeks | external assessment to assess depressive symptoms |
| Helping Alliance Questionaire (HAQ) | participants will be followed for the duration of psychotherapy, an expected average of 20 weeks | self-report measure to assess therapeutic alliance from the therapists perspective (therapist version; HAQ-T), the patients perspective (HAQ-P) and the raters perspective (HAQ-R) |
| Assessment of Patient Interpersonal Behavior (AFPIB) | participants will be followed for the duration of psychotherapy, an expected average of 20 weeks | assessment of patient in-session interpersonal behavior |
| Cognitive Therapy Scale (CTS) | participants will be followed for the duration of psychotherapy, an expected average of 20 weeks | external-assessment measure that assesses psychotherapeutic competency during a cognitive therapy session. CTS will be used by two trained raters licensed as psychological psychotherapists |
Countries
Germany
Outcome results
None listed