Clinical and statistical issues related to predicting therapeutic outcome

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Abstract
Attempted to determine whther the therapeutic outcome of an alcoholism treatment program could be predicted (N = 81). Data were analyzed both by a mathematically oriented linear regression approach and by a clinically oriented retropective parmetric approach. When the two types of analyses were applied to the same data base each analysis identitied different predictors of therapeutic outcome. This created an apprent dilemmn as to how prediction of therapeutic outcome ought to be done. It was suggested that the correlational regression appreoach be used to determine what to expect from therapy and the parametric clinical approach be used to explain why therapy succeeded or failed.