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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 2/2006

01-02-2006 | Original Paper

Helping alliance and early dropout from psychiatric out-patient care

The influence of patient factors

Authors: Håkan Johansson, MSc, Mona Eklund, PhD

Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | Issue 2/2006

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Abstract

Background

The study examined client factors of relevance in the establishment of helping alliance and in the prediction of dropout from a routine psychiatric setting admitting a variety of diagnoses and staffed with a multiprofessional team.

Method

Newly admitted patients (n=122) and staff completed questionnaires regarding helping alliance, and the patients also completed questionnaires regarding motivation, symptoms and interpersonal problems. The patients were also diagnosed according to ICD-10 and were followed up concerning early dropout.

Results

Several variables correlated with helping alliance, and multivariate analyses showed that cold/distant factor, motivation and interpersonal sensitivity factor were the most important factors in establishing helping alliance. Moreover, it was the alliance as perceived by the patients (and not by the staff) that proved to be the most essential variable. A logistic regression analysis showed that early dropout was predicted by low helping alliance, low age and cold/distant factor.

Conclusion

The most important client factors for establishing helping alliance and for predicting early dropout seem to be those relevant to interpersonal processes. Furthermore, the therapists'/staff's responsiveness to these client factors seems to be of decisive importance.
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Metadata
Title
Helping alliance and early dropout from psychiatric out-patient care
The influence of patient factors
Authors
Håkan Johansson, MSc
Mona Eklund, PhD
Publication date
01-02-2006
Publisher
Steinkopff-Verlag
Published in
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology / Issue 2/2006
Print ISSN: 0933-7954
Electronic ISSN: 1433-9285
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-005-0009-z

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