Reiner W. Dahlbender

Stereotypical Relationship patterns and psychopathology

Background: We explored the relationship between the consistency of relationship patterns and the severity of psychopathology. Method: Relationship patterns were assessed by means of Relationship Anecdote Paradigm interviews rated according to the Core Conflictual Relationship Theme (CCRT) method. The repetition of the same type of CCRT components across relationship narratives indicated stereotypical patterns. Results: Subjects treated in an inpatient setting (n = 25) told narratives with more consistent patterns than subjects in an outpatient setting (n = 32). Relationship episodes of normal adults (n = 23) were more flexible compared with the two clinical groups. Especially repetitions of the wish component were closely associated with the severity of psychopathology assessed by SCL-90R. Conclusions: The consistency of relationship patterns seems to be connected with the severity of psychopathology.

On the Connection Between Affective Evaluation of Recollected Relationship Experiences and the Severity of the Psychic Impairment

This study, carried out at three different university centers contributes to validating the valence dimension of the CCRT-method. Working on the state of the CCRT-research on affective evaluation of relationship narratives, the connection between the valence dimension of the responses from others (RO), responses of the self (RS) and the severity of the psychic disorder has been analysed with the help of two different samples (n = 266 resp. n = 32) taken from female patients. Both, therapists as well as patients themselves, evaluated the severity of the impairment similarly. The more the patients were impaired, the more negatively they describes both their own reactions and those of their interaction partners as shown in the relationship episodes.

Extreme deviations from expected recovery curves and their associations with therapeutic alliance, social support, motivation, and life events in psychosomatic in-patient therapy

Abstract Objectives: Within the clinical support tools (CST) of the OQ-Analyst, the “Assessment for Signal Cases” (ASC) evaluates the therapeutic alliance, social support, motivation, and life events. We investigated whether the ASC covers domains of importance in treatment weeks with extreme deviations from expected recovery curves (ERCs). Methods: Psychosomatic in-patients were monitored weekly with the ASC and the “Outcome Questionnaire” (OQ-45). The ERCs of the OQ-45 empirical algorithm were used to define treatment weeks with extreme positive deviations (EPD), extreme negative deviations (END), or without extreme deviations (NO). Associations between the ASC scales and EPD as well as END were analyzed by multilevel models. Results: While each ASC scale was positively associated with EPD, only the social support and life events scales were negatively related to END. Conclusions: CSTs prioritizing social support and life events might be more effective in preventing treatment failure.

The Connected Central Relationship Patterns (CCRP): A Structural Version of the CCRT

The Core Conflictual Relationship Theme (CCRT) developed by Luborsky is a content-analytic method for the measurement of repetitive relationship patterns. Narratives about relationship episodes with the self and with significant others serve as a data base. The most frequent of three judged components (wish, response from others, response of self) to be rated constitute the CCRT. In this paper we present a further methodological development of the CCRT, a structural version we have named Connected Central Relationship Patterns (CCRP). It is a method of identifying “macro-molecular” relationship structures. We describe the approach, the specific features of data acquisition, the statistical analysis which was based on further development of methods for contingency tables and some applications. A psychodynamic short-term therapy with almost 300 relationship episodes serves as an example. Das zentral Beziehungskonfliktthema (ZBKT), entwickelt von Luborsky, ist eineinhaltsanalytische Methode zur Erfassung sic...

El sistema Diagnóstico Psicodinámico Operacionalizado (OPD): Concepto, confiabilidad y validez

This paper presents the system “Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis (OPD), which has been applied in the German speaking countries very successfully duri...

Der OPD-Strukturfragebogen erfasst die allgemeinen Merkmale einer Persönlichkeitsstörung

INTRODUCTION The alternative DSM-5 model of personality disorder (PD) links general criteria and severity of PD to impairments in self and interpersonal functioning. This approach is very similar to the Level of Structural Impairment Axis of the Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis (OPD-2). In this study we investigate the relationship of these 2 approaches based on 2 new self-report questionnaires. METHODS 228 psychotherapeutic inpatients filled out the OPD Structure Questionnaire (OPD-SQ), the General Assessment of Personality Disorder (GAPD), and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-D). RESULTS The correlation between the latent general factors of OPD-SQ and GAPD was 0,91. After controlling for depressive symptoms the correlation was 0,86. DISCUSSION The general factors of the OPD-SQ and the GAPD are almost identical. CONCLUSION The OPD-SQ captures the general features of PD in terms of self-reported impairments in self and interpersonal functioning.