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UNLABELLED

Changes in conflict pathology during inpatient psychotherapy and their relationship with symptom reduction Background: In psychodynamic psychotherapy, the treatment of a patient's unconscious conflicts represents an essential aspect of psychotherapeutic success. The present study therefore investigated whether 1) the significance of conflict issues changes during inpatient psychodynamic psychotherapy, and whether 2) greater changes in the significance of conflicts are associated with a greater reduction in symptoms.

METHOD

113 patients provided information on their symptoms (BSI-18) and the significance of six OPD conflict themes in active and passive mode (12 conflict scales) by self-report on admission and discharge. Using Welch's t-tests and multiple regression models, both pre-post changes in symptoms and conflict significance and the influence of conflict changes on symptom reduction were analyzed.

RESULTS

Four OPD conflict scales changed significantly during treatment. Patients who changed more strongly in terms of the manifestation of conflicts also showed a greater reduction in symptoms.

DISCUSSION

The results indicate both a certain stability of conflict issues and their changeability and confirm the psychodynamic theory that change in conflict issues is associated with symptom reduction.