PREDICTION OF DROPPING OUT IN TIME-LIMITED, INTERPRETIVE INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOTHERAPY

Predictors of dropping out were investigated for patients who participated in time-limited, interpretive individual psychotherapy in a randomized clinical trial. A sample of 22 dropouts was compared with a sample of 22 matched completers on both pretherapy and therapy process variables. None of the pretherapy predictors, which included demographic, diagnostic, and initial disturbance variables, significantly differentiated the two groups. In contrast, several of the therapy process variables, including the therapeutic alliance, work, patient exploration, and focus on transference, significantly differentiated dropouts from completers. For dropouts, there was a weaker alliance, less work, less exploration, and greater focus on transference. Examination of the last session of dropouts revealed a nonproductive pattern characterized by resistance and transference interpretation. Implications and limitations associated with the study are considered.