The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. 205(6):427–435, JUN 2017
DOI: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000000689
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PMID: 28511190
Issn Print: 0022-3018
Publication Date: 2017/06/01
Psychotherapy Technique Related to Changes in Anxiety Symptoms With a Transdiagnostic Sample
Seth Pitman;Mark Hilsenroth;Joel Weinberger;Francine Conway;Jesse Owen;
+ Author Information
*Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, Adelphi University, Garden City, New York; †Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey; and ‡University of Denver, Denver, Colorado.
Abstract
The current study examined how techniques in a psychodynamic model of therapy (Blagys and Hilsenroth, Clin Psychol Sci Pract. 7, 167–188, 2000) were related to changes in anxiety symptoms across early treatment process among a transdiagnostic sample of patients with primary anxiety disorder, subclinical anxiety disorder, and no anxiety disorder. Secondary analyses examined the use of specific psychodynamic techniques in relation to symptom change. Results revealed that therapists' use of psychodynamic-interpersonal (PI) techniques were significantly and directly related to changes in anxiety symptoms, in line with previous findings (Pitman, Slavin-Mulford, and Hilsenroth, J Nerv Ment Dis. 202, 391–396, 2014). In addition, patients with co-occurring axis I and II disorders demonstrated positive changes in anxiety symptoms regardless of level of PI technique used, whereas patients without co-occurring disorders experienced greater improvement with more PI. Implications for transdiagnostic treatment protocols for anxiety, notably Leichsenring and Salzer's (Psychotherapy 51, 224, 2104) Unified Psychodynamic Protocol for Anxiety Disorders, are discussed in relation to the current findings.
