Study of Patient's Expectations in Psychotherapy Among Russian Patients of Counseling Centers and Psychiatric Clinic.

Abstract

According to four-factor model of therapeutic change developed by Lambert (1992) patient's expectations towards psychotherapy is one of the most influential important factors which attributed 15% to change process. In this research we studied patients' expectations in psychotherapy among different samples in Russia. We present the results of the four-fold research program: (1) translation and adaptation of the Psychotherapy Expectations and Experiences Questionnaire, PEX-P1, by Clinton and Sandel; (2) study of patients' expectations among those who suffer sequela of psychic trauma; (3) study of patients' expectations among patients of psychiatric clinic with anxiety, affective, and somatoform disorders; and (4) study of patients' expectations among clients of counseling centers. The results showed good psychometric qualities of the Russian version PEX-P1. We tested the hypothesis of a correlation between the degree of manifestation of psychological trauma and PTSD symptoms on the one hand and patients expectations with regard to psychotherapy on the other among those who had faced potentially psycho-traumatized situations (n=279). The next part of the study program has been performed on patients of psychological services centers (n=19). It was a pilot study, to be followed by research on larger samples. The methods included the PEX-P1, the Method of the Interpersonal Diagnosis of Personality by T. Leary, SCL-90-R, STAI, and NEO-FFI. The Leary method was used to examine the patients' expectations with regard to the therapist's personality and was administered twice with the same respondent. Patients' average expectations for “good” therapists are around the adaptive values (0 to 4 points).