Changes in symptoms during treatment of depression

Abstract

Theoretical background: At present, little is known about variables that influence early changes in symptoms during psychotherapy. Objective: This study investigates whether various intrapersonal and interpersonal factors of depressed patients and their spouses are predictive of the course of depressive symptoms during psychotherapy. Method: Results are based on hierarchical linear modeling and included, in a randomized clinical trial, data from 60 couples, treated with cognitive-behavioral, an interpersonal, or a couple-based intervention. Results: Results show that intrapersonal variables such as duration of depression, life satisfaction, and individual coping and interpersonal variables such as social support and negative communication behavior in conflict discussions influence the course of depression during therapy. When interpersonal variables we added to intrapersonal variables, the explained variance increased from 30 % to 50 %. Conclusion: Interpersonal aspects should be considered further in the treatment of patients suffering from depression, because they have a significant impact on the course of depression symptoms during psychotherapy but are often neglected.