Therapeutic factors in group psychotherapy: Different perpectives of patients and psychiatrists

Abstract

Aim:

In this study, we aimed to find the differences between patients' and psychiatrists' perspectives with regard to therapeutic factors in group psychotherapy, by using Yalom's 60-item curative factor questionnaire.

Method:

A sample of 60 psychiatric patients (19 male, 41 female), who had admitted to a university psychiatric inpatient clinic and who had attended a “here-and-now” focused interpersonally-oriented group psychotherapy were chosen for this study. Their mean age was 38.4±11.0, and their psychiatric diagnoses were as follows: unipolar depression (46.7%), schizophrenia (16.7%), bipolar affective disorder (10.0%), anxiety disorders (10.0%), substance dependence (10.0%) and other (5.0%). 31.7% of them were diagnosed with a comorbid personality disorder. Before they were discharged from the hospital, they were asked to fill the Yalom's 60-item curative factor questionnaire, which was also filled for each patient by a psychiatrist, who had attended or supervised the group psychotherapy of these patients.

Results:

The top three curative factors were; existential factors, instillation of hope and self-understanding for patients, and installation of hope, existential factor and cohesiveness for psychiatrist. There were statistically significant differences among patients with different properties and between patients and psychiatrist for many items with regard to perceived “most helpful” therapeutic factors.

Conclusion:

Patients gender, age, educational level and comorbid Axis II diagnosis influence the perceived therapeutic factors, while Axis I diagnosis and number of attended meetings do not. Patients and doctors seem to have different ideas about the importance of different therapeutic factors during patients healing processes in group psychotherapy.