Moderators of the effects of transference interpretations in brief dynamic psychotherapy

Abstract

The primary aim of this study is to measure effects of transference interpretations in brief dynamic psychotherapy using an experimental design. One hundred patients were randomized to dynamic psychotherapy over 1 year either with a moderate level of transference interpretations or without transference interpretations. The outcome measures were the Psychodynamic Functioning Scales, Inventory of Interpersonal Problems, Global Assessment of Functioning, and Symptom Checklist-90-Revised. No main effect of treatment was found. Several pretreatment patient characteristics related to interpersonal functioning and symptom severity were selected for exploratory analyses of moderator effects. Contrary to our hypotheses and mainstream clinical thinking, we found that patients with more interpersonal problems, more severe symptoms, or poorer quality of life responded better to therapy with transference interpretations than to therapy without such interpretations. Conversely, we found that more resourceful and less disturbed patients tended to have a negative response to transference interpretations.