The association of early response with the outcome of psychosomatic rehabilitation in patients with mental disorders and its link to treatment and illness beliefs—A prospective longitudinal cohort study

Abstract

Objective: Early response is considered to be an important predictor for therapy outcomes; yet little is known about its relevance in psychosomatic rehabilitation. This paper aims to describe the association of early response in psychosomatic rehabilitation, as well as the associations of early response with pre-rehabilitative factors such as illness and treatment beliefs. Methods: A longitudinal study with three measurement points was applied. Early response was defined using the percent improvement method after two weeks of treatment. Its association with therapy outcome and with illness and treatment beliefs was analyzed using multiple regression analyses. Results: A total of 264 participants took part. Early response was a significant predictor of psychosomatic rehabilitation outcome, explaining an incremental variance of 1–30% after controlling for initial symptom burden. Illness and treatment beliefs predicted 6–20% variance in early response. Important illness beliefs referred to perceived symptoms, consequences and comprehensibility of the illness. Important treatment beliefs referred to expectations about rehabilitation structure, processes and concerns. Conclusion: Early response is associated with the therapy outcome of psychosomatic rehabilitation, with illness and treatment beliefs found to be associated with early response. Further research on the predictors of early response in psychosomatic rehabilitation is needed.