Article Review

Research Methods in Psychology

The Effectiveness of Psychodynamic Therapy on Childhood Abused Victims.

Annotate Bibliography

Nickel, R., & Egle, U. T. (2005). Influence of childhood adversities and defense styles on the 1-year follow-up of psychosomatic- psychotherapeutic inpatient treatment. Psychotherapy Research, 15(4), 483-494. doi:10.1080/10503300500091660

This study was conducted to examine childhood abused victims' quality of life before treatment, and after treatment. A multimodal psychodynamic group concept was used to treat 138 patients for an average of 80.4 days. In order, to properly develop a comparison, clinical examiners interviewed each patient before the start to their in-patient program to diagnose each individual, and have therapy goals for them. The questionnaires that were used to measure quality of life targeted the patient's social life health, general health, emotional and physical functioning. The patients were all re-assessed after one year had passed by, to examine any changes in their quality of life. It was revealed that the patients' mental quality of life had improved by more than one standard deviation. Their physical quality of life improved just less than one standard deviation.

Baker, V., & Sheldon, H. (2007). 'The Light at the End of the Tunnel': Issues of Hope and Loss in Endings with Survivors Groups. Group Analysis, 40(3), 404-416. doi:10.1177/0533316407081759

In this article, a previous study was mentioned in which childhood abuse survivors were treated for 20 sessions. The authors of this article agreed that 20 sessions of treatment for childhood abuse survivors isn't enough for them to develop a secure attachment to the group. This study explores whether childhood abuse victims can benefit from treatment by being treated for a longer period. Seven group members of ages 23-55 were treated for 52 sessions, over a period of 13 months. All of the members in this group are women, and they had all been sexually abused in their childhood by a family member. They followed a psychodynamic, time-limited closed group therapy, in which they all benefited somewhat. However, many of the members expressed anxiety of leting go, and not being able to move on after the group ended.

Foa, E. (2009). Psychodynamic Therapy for Child Trauma. Retrieved from https://www.istss.org/ISTSS_Main/media/Documents/ISTSS_g12.pdf

The authors of this article discuss the efficacy of pyshcodynamic methods on childhood abuse victims, by presenting the results of five randomized controled trials. The population involved in these randomized controled trials were : preschoolers that were exposed to domestic violance, abused infant and sexually abused girls. Three of these randomized controled trials focused on a child-parent therapy, using a relationship-based intervention. The goal to these three randomzied trials was to strengthen the parent-child relationship to lead to a long term healthy child development. Another randomized trial treated sexually abused girls individually. Lastly, the fifth randomized controled trial focused on treating malnourised abused children in foster care, by using the intervention Attachment aand Behavioral Catch-up (ABC) The forster care children received 30 sessions of this treatment, while the other trials invoved 50 weekly trials. All togther, the results demonstrated that psychodynamic methods plays a positive effect in: improving abused children's parent-child relationship, reducing stress levels, changings thoughts about themselves, and changing attachment classifications.

Strangio, A. M., Rinaldi, L., Monniello, G., Sisti, L. G., Waure, C. D., & Janiri, L. (2017, February 08). The Effect of Abuse History on Adolescent Patients with Feeding and Eating Disorders Treated through Psychodynamic Therapy: Comorbidities and Outcome. Retrieved October 08, 2017, from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00031/full

In this comparative study, the author comapres the outcome of psychodynamic methods on childhood abuse victims with eating disoders versus the outcome of these methods on patients with eating disorders, but no history of childhood abuse. The author first assessed 26 adolescent patients using questionnaires such as the Dissociative Experiences Scale, Global Assesment of Functioning, and CTQ Self Control.The CTQ Self Control was used to divide the patients into two groups: those with a childhood abuse history, and those without. The results from the CTQ Self Control demonstrated that 42.3% of these patients had experienced childhood abuse.The patients underwent a 12month period of psychodynamic therapy, and were re-assesed after therapy. In summary, all patients improved from psychodynamic therapy. However, improvements were much less evident in patients that had a history of childhood abuse. The patients with a childhood abuse history continued having high levels of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, guilt, and substance abuse dependence. The authors admited that the limits to their study was their small sample size.

Peleikis, D. (2005). Current Mental Health in Women with Childhood Sexual Abuse who had Outpatient Psychotherapy. European Psychiatry: the Journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists, 20(3), 260.

This article examines the strength of psychodynamic therapy on sexually abused girls, by re-evaluating patients that had receive this form of therapy, at least a year ago. A sample of 56 patients were involved in this study, and they were examined at a mean of 5.1 years after terminating treatment. The following methods were used to examine the patients menal and functional health: Clinical assessment interviews, the Global assessment of functioning scale, Davidson Trauma scale, The Dissociative Experience scale, and The Symptom Check List. Results determined that there was a significant high rate of mental disorders, mainly PTSD, depression, and phobic disorders. Out of 56 patients, only 2 women appeared healthy on all measures. In conclusion, the patients long-term status was characterized as poor mental health with a consideration of a functional impairment.

Price, J. L., Hilsenroth, M. J., Callahan, K. L., Petretic-Jackson, P. A., & Bonge, D. (2004). A pilot study of psychodynamic psychotherapy for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 11(6), 378-391. doi:10.1002/cpp.421

The aim of this article is to discuss the efficacy of psychodynamic treatment on adult survivors of childhood abuse, by presenting the results of an open trial of individual short-term therapy. In this study, 27 patients were seen for individual pscyhodynamic therapy, and were categorized according to presence or absence of childhood sexual abuse. This resulted in having 12 patients in the study with a history of childhood abuse, and 15 patients without a history of childhood abuse. The short-term treatment for patients involved one, or two times a week sessions for 6 months. The assessment battery was used to evaluate patients before treatment and after treatment, and the therapeutic alliance was used in therapy. The results from post-treatment revealed that patients with a childhood abuse history significantly improved, compared to the patients without a childhood abuse history. The authors concluded that childhood sexual abused survivors respond well to a short-term psychodynamic treatment.

Long-Term Course in Female Survivors of Childhood Abuse after Psychodynamically Oriented, Trauma-Specific Inpatient Treatment: A Naturalistic Two-Year Follow-Up. (n.d.). Retrieved October 08, 2017, from http://www.vr-elibrary.de/doi/abs/10.13109/zptm.2014.60.3.267#.Wdq7U1tSzIU

The focus of this study is to examine the durability of psychodynamic therapy by analyzing the assessments that were performed before treatment, at discharge, and two years later after treatment.The study consisted of 43 female participants that had all received inpatient treatment, and the data for this study was collected two years after the treatment. The authors used phone-interviews, and pencil questionnaires to collect data for the two year follow-up. The following assessments were also used as well: Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Dissociative Experiences scale, Beck Depression Inventory Scale, and the Inventory Life Changing Events questionnaire. The data collected from the two year follow-up revealed significant improvements in symptoms of PTSD, and depression. Their ability of self soothing also improved. The authors concluded that inpatient psychodynamic therapy leads to a long-term time of reduced symptoms for women that are childhood abuse survivors.

Evaluation of an Outpatient Intervention for Women With Severe Depression and a History of Childhood Trauma. (n.d.). Retrieved October 08, 2017, fromhttp://ps.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/ps.2009.60.7.936

In this article, a three month outpatient intervention was conducted to examine the effectiveness of a three month psychodynamic intervention for women with depression, and a history of childhood abuse. Lambert's Outcome Questionnaire, and the Post-traumatic Stress Treatment Outcome scale were used in the study to examine 87 women . These questionnaires rated the patient's functional health, psychiatric symptoms, symptoms of post traumatic stress, and interpersonal relationships. The Lambert's questionnaires revealed a significant improvement in the patients' interpersonal relationships, and functional health. The Post-traumatic Stress Treatment Outcome scale revealed a significant improvement in the paatients' symptoms of post traumatic stress. The authors conclude that an outpatient psychodynamic intervention is effective in reducing patients' symptoms of PSD, and depression, when having a history of childhood abuse.