Evaluation of Results of Psychotherapy

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Abstract
Summary A study of some of the factors involved in the psychotherapy of 210 outpatients with varying types of emotional disorders is presented. These patients were in treatment with first-, second-, and third-year residents trained in dynamic psychiatry. Each resident completed a lengthy form for each patient he had in treatment during a twelve-month period. The form was designed to provide a variety of information about the patient and his treatment. These data were subjected to statistical analysis. The patients were separated into three main categories based upon their relative improvement with psychotherapy. The three groups were compared. Approximately 70 per cent of the entire group of 210 patients experienced appreciable improvement with treatment. There were significantly more women than men in therapy; however, this difference was no longer apparent when the patients who terminated treatment prematurely were added to this total. There was a significantly larger number of fee-paying patients in the "Much improved" group. These data failed to reveal a significant association between intelligence and education and improvement in therapy. The group of "Much improved" patients had significantly better "childhood environments." Ability to develop interpersonal relations at the time therapy was started was significantly associated with improvement in therapy. Good sexual adjustment, high social station, and favorable financial status were significantly associated with "much improvement" in therapy. No significant associations could be established between the pretreatment marital adjustment, work adjustment, insight, housing facilities, and improvement with treatment. Religious activity was associated to a significant level with lack of change with treatment. Improvement, when it occurred, was found mainly in marital and work adjustment, with less in financial status, sexual adjustment, and interpersonal relations. Housing, social stratum, and religious activity were influenced insignificantly by treatment.

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