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The relationship between helping alliance and outcome in outpatient treatment of alcoholics : A comparative study of psychiatric treatment and multimodal behavioural therapy

Öjehagen, Agneta LU ; Berglund, Mats LU and Hansson, Lars LU (1997) In Alcohol and Alcoholism 32(3). p.241-249
Abstract

During the last decades, a positive relation between a good alliance and a successful therapy outcome has been demonstrated across a variety of different therapeutic modalities. The relationship between alliance and drinking outcome in long-term treatment of alcoholics (12 months or more) has not, as far as we know, been presented. In the present study, alcoholics were randomized to two outpatient treatment programmes; multimodal behavioural therapy (MBT) and psychiatric treatment based on a psychodynamic approach (PT). As part of the study, analyses were performed concerning differences in alliance between the two treatment models (MBT, n = 17; PT, n = 18), and concerning the relationship between alliance and treatment outcome. A... (More)

During the last decades, a positive relation between a good alliance and a successful therapy outcome has been demonstrated across a variety of different therapeutic modalities. The relationship between alliance and drinking outcome in long-term treatment of alcoholics (12 months or more) has not, as far as we know, been presented. In the present study, alcoholics were randomized to two outpatient treatment programmes; multimodal behavioural therapy (MBT) and psychiatric treatment based on a psychodynamic approach (PT). As part of the study, analyses were performed concerning differences in alliance between the two treatment models (MBT, n = 17; PT, n = 18), and concerning the relationship between alliance and treatment outcome. A Swedish version of the Helping Alliance Questionnaire was used to measure alliance. All therapy sessions were tape-recorded. An independent researcher rated the patient's and therapist's contribution to the alliance at the third session (early alliance). Early patient and therapist alliances were not related to sociodemographic data or initial measures of alcohol severity, psychiatric symptoms, or personality structure in either therapy. Early therapist alliance was better in MBT in comparison with PT. For MBT patients, a significant positive correlation was found between early patient alliance and mood dimensions at 6 months. There were no significant positive correlations between early alliance and drinking outcome during the course of treatment and in the third year after start of treatment. Mood and drinking outcome also showed low correlations. In conclusion, an initial positive alliance seems insufficient to reduce alcohol misuse. The relationship between early alliance and improvement in alcohol misuse needs to be further investigated.

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author
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publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Alcohol and Alcoholism
volume
32
issue
3
pages
241 - 249
publisher
Oxford University Press
external identifiers
  • pmid:9199724
  • scopus:0030920654
ISSN
0735-0414
DOI
10.1093/oxfordjournals.alcalc.a008263
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
6f39fb18-293c-4596-929e-2664ea2defe4
date added to LUP
2020-12-28 11:11:52
date last changed
2024-01-03 02:13:45
@article{6f39fb18-293c-4596-929e-2664ea2defe4,
  abstract     = {{<p>During the last decades, a positive relation between a good alliance and a successful therapy outcome has been demonstrated across a variety of different therapeutic modalities. The relationship between alliance and drinking outcome in long-term treatment of alcoholics (12 months or more) has not, as far as we know, been presented. In the present study, alcoholics were randomized to two outpatient treatment programmes; multimodal behavioural therapy (MBT) and psychiatric treatment based on a psychodynamic approach (PT). As part of the study, analyses were performed concerning differences in alliance between the two treatment models (MBT, n = 17; PT, n = 18), and concerning the relationship between alliance and treatment outcome. A Swedish version of the Helping Alliance Questionnaire was used to measure alliance. All therapy sessions were tape-recorded. An independent researcher rated the patient's and therapist's contribution to the alliance at the third session (early alliance). Early patient and therapist alliances were not related to sociodemographic data or initial measures of alcohol severity, psychiatric symptoms, or personality structure in either therapy. Early therapist alliance was better in MBT in comparison with PT. For MBT patients, a significant positive correlation was found between early patient alliance and mood dimensions at 6 months. There were no significant positive correlations between early alliance and drinking outcome during the course of treatment and in the third year after start of treatment. Mood and drinking outcome also showed low correlations. In conclusion, an initial positive alliance seems insufficient to reduce alcohol misuse. The relationship between early alliance and improvement in alcohol misuse needs to be further investigated.</p>}},
  author       = {{Öjehagen, Agneta and Berglund, Mats and Hansson, Lars}},
  issn         = {{0735-0414}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{241--249}},
  publisher    = {{Oxford University Press}},
  series       = {{Alcohol and Alcoholism}},
  title        = {{The relationship between helping alliance and outcome in outpatient treatment of alcoholics : A comparative study of psychiatric treatment and multimodal behavioural therapy}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.alcalc.a008263}},
  doi          = {{10.1093/oxfordjournals.alcalc.a008263}},
  volume       = {{32}},
  year         = {{1997}},
}