Search

Background: Stress is a major risk factor for the impairment of psychological well-being. The present study aimed to evaluate the empirical evidence of the Transactional Stress Model proposed by Lazarus and Folkman in patients with psychosomatic health conditions. Methods: A structural equation model was applied in two separate subsamples of inpatients from the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine (total n = 2,216) for consecutive model building (sample 1, n = 1,129) and confirmatory analyses (sample 2, n = 1,087) using self-reported health status information about perceived stress, personal resources, coping mechanisms, stress response, and psychological well-being. Results: The initial model was created to reflect the theoretical assumptions by Lazarus and Folkman about their transactional stress concept. This model was modified until a sufficient model fit was reached (sample 1: CFI = 0.904, TLI = 0.898, RMSEA = 0.072 [0.071-0.074], SRMR = 0.061). The modified model was confirmed in a second sample (sample 2: CFI = 0.932, TLI = 0.928, RMSEA = 0.066 [0.065-0.068], SRMR = 0.052). Perceived external stressors and personal resources explained 91% of the variance of the stress response, which was closely related to symptoms of depression (63% variance explained). The attenuating effect of resources on stress response was higher (standardized beta = -0.73, p < 0.001) than the impact of perceived stressors on stress response (standardized beta = 0.34, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The empirical data largely confirmed the theoretical assumption of the Transactional Stress Model, which was first presented by Lazarus and Folkman, in patients with a wide range of psychosomatic conditions. However, data analyses were solely based on self-reported health status. Thus, proposed inner psychological mechanisms such as the appraisal process could not be included in this empirical validation. The operationalization and understanding of coping processes should be further improved.

Alexander Obbarius,1 Felix Fischer,1 Gregor Liegl,1 Nina Obbarius,1 Jan van Bebber,1 Tobias Hofmann,1 Matthias Rose1,2 1Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Center for Internal Medicine and Dermatology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; 2Quantitative Health Sciences, Outcomes Measurement Science, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USACorrespondence: Alexander ObbariusDepartment of Psychosomatic Medicine, Center for Internal Medicine and Dermatology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, GermanyTel +4930450653890Email alexander.obbarius@charite.dePurpose: The number of non-responders to treatment among patients with chronic pain (CP) is high, although intensive multimodal treatment is broadly accessible. One reason is the large variability in manifestations of CP. To facilitate the development of tailored treatment approaches, phenotypes of CP must be identified. In this study, we aim to identify subgroups in patients with CP based on several aspects of self-reported health.Patients and Methods: A latent class analysis (LCA) was carried out in retrospective data from 411 patients with CP of different origins. All patients experienced severe physical and psychosocial consequences and were therefore undergoing multimodal inpatient pain treatment. Self-reported measures of pain (visual analogue scales for pain intensity, frequency, and impairment; Pain Perception Scale), emotional distress (Patient Health Questionnaire, PHQ-9; Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, GAD-7) and physical health (Short Form Health Survey; SF-8) were collected immediately after admission and before discharge. Instruments assessed at admission were used as input to the LCA. Resulting classes were compared in terms of patient characteristics and treatment outcome.Results: A model with four latent classes demonstrated the best model fit and interpretability. Classes 1 to 4 included patients with high (54.7%), extreme (17.0%), moderate (15.6%), and low (12.7%) pain burden, respectively. Patients in class 4 showed high levels of emotional distress, whereas emotional distress in the other classes corresponded to the levels of pain burden. While pain as well as physical and mental health improved in class 1, only the levels of depression and anxiety improved in patients in the other groups during multimodal treatment.Conclusion: The specific needs of these subgroups should be taken into account when developing individualized treatment programs. However, the retrospective design limits the significance of the results and replication in prospective studies is desirable.Keywords: chronic pain, phenotyping, patient-reported outcomes, latent class analysis, multimodal treatment

Background: Differentiation between purging type (AN-P) and restricting type (AN-R) is common in anorexia nervosa (AN) and relevant for clinical practice. However, differences of personality pathology in eating disorders (ED) and their subtypes, which can be captured by the operationalized psychodynamic diagnosis (OPD) system, have not been systematically investigated to date. Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore differences in personality structure between the subtypes of AN and bulimia nervosa (BN) using the OPD structure questionnaire (OPD-SQ). In addition, the ability of the instrument to support the classification of eating disorders was examined. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective, exploratory study in a subset sample of a larger validation study. The OPD-SQ had been collected from n = 60 patients with AN or BN. Patients were assigned to the ED groups by clinical assessment. Statistical analyses included multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and discriminant analysis. Results: Differences between ED groups were observed on 5 OPD-SQ main scales and 9 subscales, as well as on the global scale. AN-P patients demonstrated the lowest personality structure on most of the main scales and subscales, whereas AN-R patients showed a higher personality structure level as compared to both BN and AN-P patients. The OPD-SQ scales with the largest differences include self-perception, object perception, and attachment to internal objects. Discriminant analysis resulted in satisfactory assignment to ED groups by OPD-SQ subscales. Conclusions: Personality structure was found to be less developed in patients with BN and AN-P as compared to patients with AN-R. Although the results have to be proven in larger prospective studies, these results suggest that the OPD-SQ may be used to support the clinical assessment and classification in patients with EDs.

Countertransference has since developed to a very important tool in inpatient psychosomatic treatment. It has gained in importance for the understanding of unconscious conflicts and related treatment outcome in psychodynamic psychotherapy as well. That is both for single therapy and for integrative psychodynamic therapy with the “core” (Janssen 2004) of multiprofessional team. The aim of this study was apart from providing data on the reliability and factor structure of the countertransference questionnaire, to assess, a) if countertransference differs between diverse types of therapy, b) in which usual manner countertransference is connected to the experience and configuration of the patients relationships, c) if countertransference is associated to patients exposure and d) if countertransference depends on various diagnoses. Method: The Countertransference Questionnaire, German version (CTQ-D) is a translation from the CTQ, provided by Drew Westen et al., Emory University, Atlanta, USA. The Countertransference of a sample of 137 patients was measured by several therapists (physicians, psychologists and nursing staff) by the CTQ-D on admission and discharge. A total number of 1131 questionnaires were filled in. Factor analysis of CTQ-D yielded seven statistically and clinically coherent factors: 1) aggressive/resigning, 2) positive, 3) overwhelmed, 4) protective, 5) indifferent, 6) overinvolved, 7) sexualized. Patients completed Checklist-90 Revised (SCL 90R), Helping Alliance Questionnaire (HAQ), Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP) and the Assessment of DSM-IV Personality Disorders (ADP-IV) on admission and discharge. Results: The study revealed several specific and significant correlations between the therapists’ countertransference reactions and the patients’ self-reporting tools: a) Conflict orientated treatment procedures (conversational therapy) induce higher levels of aggressive/resigning CT in therapists, experience orientated treatment procedures (body work and art therapy) induce higher positive, protective and overinvolved countertransference feelings. b) We found a negative correlation between higher patients’ marital satisfaction and negative countertransference reactions and another negative correlation between higher patients’ outcome satisfaction and therapists feeling negative, overwhelmed and protective. A higher IIP-rating in patients sticks together with therapists feeling overwhelmed. c) Patients with high GSI (Global severity index) induce distinctive feelings of being negative, overwhelmed, indifferent in therapists, and less feelings of being positive. Symptom change was positively correlated with overinvolved, positive and sexualized countertransference reactions and negatively correlated with negative and indifferent feelings. d) Maximum values of therapists feeling negative, overwhelmed and protective and minimum values of therapists feeling positive are counted in patients with personality disorders. Patients who suffer from eating disorders created highest levels of positive and overinvolved feelings in therapists. Patients with somatoform disorder induced distinctive feelings of indifference as well. Patients with affective disorder didn’t even induce high countertransference feelings at all. Conclusion: These findings make clear that countertransference is a significant tool to assess shaping of patients relationship, patients liability and proceeding in inpatient psychosomatic treatment. The findings point out the importance of resolving negative countertransference constellations by discussing them in supervisions and team-meetings. Patients with somatoform disorder and personality disorder should hence be reviewed constantly. The CTQ-D Questionnaire could either be used in research or in education and daily routine e.g. to predict symptom change in patients. Die Gegenübertragung hat sich mittlerweile zu einem der wichtigsten Instrumente der stationären psychosomatischen Therapie entwickelt. Ihr kommt in der psychodynamischen Psychotherapie für das Verständnis der unbewussten Konflikte und für den damit zusammenhängenden Behandlungserfolg eine zentrale Funktion zu. Dies gilt für die Einzeltherapie, aber auch für die integrative stationäre psychodynamische Therapie und deren „Herzstück“ (Janssen 2004) - das multiprofessionelle Team. Die Ziele der Arbeit bestehen - abgesehen von der Beschreibung der Faktorenstruktur und Reliabilität des Gegenübertragungsfragebogens - darin, herauszufinden, ob sich a) die Gegenübertragung in unterschiedlichen Therapieverfahren unterscheidet, b) in welcher Weise die Gegenübertragung mit dem Beziehungserleben und der Beziehungsgestaltung des Patienten zusammenhängt, c) ob die Gegenübertragung mit der Belastung des Patienten zusammenhängt und d) ob sich die Gegenübertragung abhängig von der Diagnose unterscheidet. Methode: Dazu wurde mithilfe des Gegenübertragungsfragebogens (CTQ-D) die Gegenübertragung von 137 Patienten durch mehrere Therapeuten (Ärzte, Psychologen und Pflegekräfte) aus zwei psychosomatischen Kliniken zu Therapiebeginn und zum Therapieende erhoben. Insgesamt flossen 1131 Fragebögen in die Auswertung mit ein. Die Faktorenanalyse des CTQ-D ergab eine Lösung mit sieben statistisch und klinisch kohärenten Faktoren: 1) aggressiv-resignative GÜ, 2) positiv-zugeneigte GÜ, 3) überwältigt-verängstigte GÜ, 4) protektiv-elterliche GÜ, 5) desinteressierte GÜ, 6) verstrickte GÜ und 7) sexualisierte GÜ. Die Patienten füllten die Symptomcheckliste (SCL-90R), den Helping Alliance Questionaire (HAQ), das Inventar zur Erfassung interpersonaler Probleme (IIP) und den Fragebogen zur Erhebung von Persönlichkeitsstörungen (ADP-IV) zu Beginn und zum Ende der Therapie aus. Ergebnisse: Es konnten einige spezifische und signifikante Zusammenhänge zwischen der Gegenübertragung der Therapeuten und den Selbstbeurteilungsinstrumenten der Patienten nachgewiesen werden: a) Konfliktorientierte Therapieverfahren (Gesprächstherapien) erzeugen bei den Therapeuten höhere aggressiv-resignative Gegenübertragung, erlebnisorientierte Therapieverfahren (Körpertherapie und Gestaltungstherapie) rufen höhere positiv-zugeneigte, protektiv-elterliche und verstrickte Gegenübertragung hervor. b) Die Beziehungszufriedenheit der Patienten ist umso größer, je geringer die aggressiv-resignative Gegenübertragung von den Therapeuten wahrgenommen wird und die Therapiezufriedenheit ist umso größer, je geringer die aggressiv-resignative, überwältigt-verängstigte und protektiv-elterliche Gegenübertragung ausgeprägt ist. Ein hoher IIP-Wert bei den Patienten hängt mit dem Erleben von überwältigt-verängstigter Gegenübertragung zusammen. c) Patienten mit hohem GSI rufen bei den Therapeuten hohe aggressiv-resignative, überwältigt-verängstigte, desinteressierte und geringe positiv-zugeneigte Gegenübertragung hervor. Verstrickte, positiv-zugeneigte und sexualisierte Gegenübertragung hängen mit einem guten Therapieverlauf zusammen, aggressiv-resignative und desinteressierte Gegenübertragung deuten auf eine schlechte Entwicklung im Verlauf hin. d) Die höchsten Werte der aggressiv-resignativen, überwältigtverängstigten und protektiv-elterlichen GÜ und die geringste positiv-zugeneigte GÜ wird bei der Gruppe der Persönlichkeitsstörungen wahrgenommen. Den höchsten Wert der positiv-zugeneigten und der verstrickten GÜ erreicht die Gruppe der Essstörungen. Somatoforme Störungen rufen in den Therapeuten ein hohes Maß an Desinteresse hervor. Die Gruppe der affektiven Störungen erzeugt bei den Therapeuten in allen Dimensionen geringe Gegenübertragungsgefühle. Folgerung: Die Ergebnisse verdeutlichen, dass die Gegenübertragung ein aussagekräftiges Instrument zur Beurteilung der Beziehungsgestaltung, der Belastung und der Verlaufsbeurteilung der Patienten auf einer psychosomatischen Station darstellt. Sie betonen auch die Bedeutung der Auflösung negativer Gegenübertragungskonstellationen durch Supervisionen und Teambesprechungen im stationären Alltag. Dabei bedürfen schwierige Patienten, beispielsweise mit somatoformer Störung oder Persönlichkeitsstörung besonderer Aufmerksamkeit. Dem CTQ-D kann neben dem Einsatz als wissenschaftlichem Instrument im Rahmen der Ausbildung und im klinischen Alltag zur Vorhersage des Therapieverlaufs umfassende Bedeutung zukommen.