Psychoanalytic psychotherapy for children and adolescents with severe depressive psychopathology: Preliminary results of an effectiveness trial.

Abstract

This waitlist-controlled field study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of psychoanalytic short- and long-term psychotherapy for children and adolescents by using a prospective design. The presented analyses focus on the self- and parent-reported levels of depression and the therapists' ratings of the patients' level of functioning. Thirty-five children and adolescents (aged 4-21 years) and their parents who entered psychoanalytic therapy in private practices in northern Germany participated in this ongoing study. At the time of data analysis, the wait-list control group comprised 17 patients. Data were collected from therapists, parents, and from the patients themselves. Questionnaires were administered at the beginning and the end of treatment, as well as up to 5 points in time during therapy. Follow-up took place at 6 and 12 months after therapy. Depression levels were measured with the self- and parent-reported screening questionnaire Child Depression Inventory, and quality of life with the KIDSCREEN. Patients received, on average, 97 sessions of therapy (range: 25-205). Overall, patients showed pronounced impairments at the commencement of outpatient therapy. At the end of therapy, there was a significant reduction in depression in the treatment group (parent report: d = 0.88, p < .001; patient report d = 0.68, p ≤ .003). The wait-list control group, which received minimal treatment, displayed a slight, but not statistically significant, symptom improvement in the patient report (d = 0.07, p ≤ .503), but a significant improvement in the parent report (d = 0.49, p ≤ .008). The results suggest that psychoanalytic therapy is successful in alleviating depressive pathology and improving quality of life for a significant number of depressed children and adolescents.