Effects of patient–therapist interpersonal complementarity on alliance and outcome in cognitive–behavioral therapies for depression: Moving toward interpersonal responsiveness

Gómez Penedo, Juan Martin; Rubel, Julian; Krieger, Tobias; Alalú, Nicolás; Babl, Anna Margarete; Roussos, Andrés; grosse Holtforth, Martin (2021). Effects of patient–therapist interpersonal complementarity on alliance and outcome in cognitive–behavioral therapies for depression: Moving toward interpersonal responsiveness. Journal of counseling psychology, 68(5), pp. 582-592. American Psychological Association 10.1037/cou0000528

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This study analyzed patient–therapist in-session interpersonal complementarity effects on the therapeutic alliance and depression severity during the initial and working phase of cognitive–behavioral therapy for depression. It also explored whether patients’ interpersonal problems moderate those complementarity effects. We drew on a sample of 90 dyads derived from a randomized controlled trial of two cognitive–behavioral therapies for depression. Using an observer-based measure, we assessed patients’ and therapists’ interpersonal behavior in Sessions 1, 5, 9, and 13 and computed their complementarity regarding interpersonal affiliation (i.e., correspondence) and dominance (i.e., reciprocity). Patients completed measures of interpersonal problems at baseline and session-by-session measures of depression severity and quality of the therapeutic alliance. Response surface analyses based on polynomial regressions showed that patient–therapist complementarity in higher affiliative behaviors was associated with a stronger alliance. Interpersonal problems regarding agency moderated the complementarity effects of the dominance dimensions on depression severity. Overly dominant patients benefited more from a nonreciprocal relationship in the dominance dimension, whereas submissive patients benefited more from complementarity in that dimension. Furthermore, interpersonal problems of communion significantly moderated the effects of complementarity in affiliative behaviors on both the alliance and outcome. These results suggest the relevance of both interpersonal correspondence and reciprocity for the psychotherapy process, informing clinical practice in terms of interpersonal responsiveness. The moderation effects of interpersonal problems provide preliminary evidence, which should be replicated in future research, to determine relevant markers indicating for whom a complementary approach would be beneficial in cognitive therapy for depression.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	07 Faculty of Human Sciences > Institute of Psychology > Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy
UniBE Contributor:	Gomez Penedo, Juan Martin, Krieger, Tobias, Babl, Anna Margarete, Grosse Holtforth, Martin
Subjects:	100 Philosophy > 150 Psychology 600 Technology > 610 Medicine & health
ISSN:	0022-0167
Publisher:	American Psychological Association
Language:	English
Submitter:	Melanie Best
Date Deposited:	08 Apr 2021 15:29
Last Modified:	05 Dec 2022 15:50
Publisher DOI:	10.1037/cou0000528
PubMed ID:	32852967
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/155020