Patient Personality and Relational Patterns in Psychotherapy: Factor Structure, Reliability, and Validity of the Psychotherapy Relationship Questionnaire. Issue 1 (2nd January 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Tanzilli, Annalisa; Colli, Antonello; Gualco, Ivan; Lingiardi, Vittorio
• Is Part Of: Journal of personality assessment. Volume 100:Issue 1(2018)
• Page Start: 96
• Page End: 106
• Publication Date: 2018-01-02
• Subjects: Personality assessment -- Periodicals; Psychology; Periodicals; 155.28
• DOI: 10.1080/00223891.2016.1272050
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-3891

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to examine the factor structure and the psychometric properties of the Psychotherapy Relationship Questionnaire (PRQ; Bradley, Heim, & Westen, 2005 ), a clinician report instrument that measures a wide spectrum of thoughts, feelings, motives, conflicts, and behaviors expressed by patients toward their therapists in psychotherapy. A national sample of psychiatrists and clinical psychologists ( N = 314) of different theoretical orientations completed the PRQ, as well as the Shedler–Westen Assessment Procedure–200 (SWAP–200; Westen & Shedler, 1999a, 1999b ) to assess the personality of a patient in their care. Factor-analytic procedures identified 6 transference dimensions that showed excellent internal consistencies: (a) hostile, (b) positive/working alliance, (c) special/entitled, (d) anxious/preoccupied, (e) avoidant/dismissing attachment, and (f) sexualized. Factor scores were significantly related to patients' personality characteristics and psychological functioning, regardless of the clinicians' orientations. The findings support that the PRQ is a valid and reliable tool for evaluating the patients' relational patterns emerging in clinical practice in a clinically coherent and psychometrically robust way. Clinicians' careful understanding of these patterns can be very useful for making accurate diagnostic formulations, as well as for providing a roadmap for effective therapeutic intervention.