Dynamics of Psychotherapy and Treatment Outcomes

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

• Ages 18 years and older
• All sexes
• No healthy volunteers
• Adult, Older adult

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

About this study

Official title: Patient Capacity and Dynamic Aspects of the Psychotherapeutic Process Impacting the Course and Outcomes of Treatment

Conditions

Mental Disorders, Neurotic Disorders, Personality Disorders

Being tested

Psychotherapy Process-Outcome Study in Group Therapy

Keywords

therapeutic alliance, insight, resilience, group therapy, neurotic symptoms, treatment oucome, changes in treatment, mindfulness, process-outcome research

Medical subject headings

Mental Disorders, Neurotic Disorders, Personality Disorders

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

• Psychotherapy Process-Outcome Study in Group TherapyOther

  Also called Group Psychotherapy Focused on Therapeutic Alliance and Insight, Alliance-Focused Group Therapy, Insight-Oriented Group Therapy, Psychodynamic Group Therapy Monitoring Alliance and Insight Development

  A manualized group dynamic psychotherapy conducted at the University Hospital in Kraków, focused on monitoring and enhancing therapeutic alliance and insight development. The intervention targeted patients diagnosed with neurotic and personality disorders. Psychological assessments were conducted at weeks 1, 4, 8, and 12 to track changes in symptoms, resilience, alliance, and insight. The psychotherapy emphasized the interplay between trait-like and state-like components of alliance and insight and their relationship to therapeutic outcomes (symptom reduction and resilience enhancement).

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

1. Resilience Level Assessed by the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale Short Version (CD-RISC-10)

   Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale Short Version (CD-RISC-10) is a 10-item scale used to assess resilience, defined as the ability to cope with stress in response to challenging experiences. The full CD-RISC consists of 25 items and has a five-factor structure, both versions displaying sound psychometric properties. Observations made during the development of the original scale indicate that resilience can be modified and improved through appropriate interventions, and greater improvement in resilience scores corresponds to more significant overall treatment outcomes. CD-RISC is one of the most frequently used tools to measure resilience. This study employed the short version, CD-RISC-10, which includes two factors labeled as Endurance and Perseverance. The CD-RISC-10 uses a 5-point Likert scale to assess resilience.

   Measured: Week 1 (pre-treatment); Week 4 (1 month of treatment); Week 8 (2 months of treatment); Week 12 (post-treatment; end of 3-month therapy cycle)

2. Neurotic Symptoms Questionnaire "O" (SQ-O)

   The Symptoms Questionnaire "O" (SQ-O), a validated 187-item self-report tool used to measure the severity of neurotic symptoms across affective, somatic, and behavioral domains. The checklist includes 14 subscales covering different areas of neurotic psychopathology. The SQ-O can be used both diagnostically, to assess the overall severity of symptoms (cut-off scores are sex-adjusted; scores above 165 for men and 200 for women indicate symptoms exceeding the norm), as well as a measure of treatment-related change. This study focused on the overall scale scores measured at specified time points, without analyzing changes in individual subscales. Each item is scored dichotomously (0 = no, 1 = yes).

   Measured: Week 1 (pre-treatment); Week 4 (1 month of treatment); Week 8 (2 months of treatment); Week 12 (post-treatment; end of 3-month therapy cycle)

3. Psychological Insight Assessed by the Psychological Insight Questionnaire (PIQ)

   Psychological Insight Questionnaire (PIQ) is a tool used to assess insight, defined as a series of realizations and discoveries related to personality, relationships, behavioral patterns, and emotions. The questionnaire consists of 23 items rated on a 6-point Likert scale (from 0 - none/not at all to 5 - extreme) to indicate the intensity of each experienced state over the last 7 days. The scale includes two subscales: (1) Avoidance and Maladaptive Patterns Insights and (2) Goals and Adaptive Patterns Insights, both of which demonstrate satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.93 and 0.85, respectively). Although initially developed to explore the acute and lasting effects of psychedelic use, the content, sound psychometric properties, and simplicity of the PIQ encourage its use in other areas where psychological insight may be critical in predicting psychotherapy outcomes.

   Measured: Week 1 (pre-treatment); Week 4 (1 month of treatment); Week 8 (2 months of treatment); Week 12 (post-treatment; end of 3-month therapy cycle)

4. Therapeutic Alliance Level Assessed by the Working Alliance Inventory - Short Revised (WAI-SR)

   Working Alliance Inventory - Short Revised (WAI-SR) is a 12-item revised measure assessing the quality of the therapeutic alliance as perceived by the patient. Extensive research has confirmed its effectiveness in predicting treatment outcomes. Most researchers recommend using the overall score, as the two identified subscales - Goal/Task and Bond - strongly correlate, which could interfere with accurate interpretation. The WAI-SR uses a 5-point Likert scale to assess the strength of the therapeutic alliance.

   Measured: Week 1 (pre-treatment); Week 4 (1 month of treatment); Week 8 (2 months of treatment); Week 12 (post-treatment; end of 3-month therapy cycle)

5. Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory - Short Form (FIU-14)

   The Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory - Short Form (FIU-14) is a 14-item self-report scale designed to measure mindfulness as a general psychological trait. Mindfulness is described as a personal trait of being mindful of the moment-by-moment experience. Some of the features of mindfulness include openness, receptiveness, curiosity, and a nonjudgmental attitude. It assumes that an open and attentive individual is more in touch with feelings and experiences. Fourteen items of the questionnaire define mindfulness as a process of regulating attention. The items are rated on a 4-point Likert scale, from 1 = "rarely" to 4 = "almost always". The reliability measure of this short version is acceptable (Cronbach's alpha between 0.79 and 0.86).

   Measured: Week 1 (pre-treatment); Week 4 (1 month of treatment); Week 8 (2 months of treatment); Week 12 (post-treatment; end of 3-month therapy cycle)

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

1. First posted12 Jun 2025
2. Study start1 Feb 2023
3. Primary completionDec 2025 (estimated)
4. Study completionDec 2025 (estimated)

Resources

• Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
• Other trials for Mental DisordersStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
• What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.