Psicothema was founded in Asturias (northern Spain) in 1989, and is published jointly by the Psychology Faculty of the University of Oviedo and the Psychological Association of the Principality of Asturias (Colegio Oficial de Psicología del Principado de Asturias).
We currently publish four issues per year, which accounts for some 100 articles annually. We admit work from both the basic and applied research fields, and from all areas of Psychology, all manuscripts being anonymously reviewed prior to publication.
Ignacio Fernández-Arias, Gloria García-Fernández, Mónica Bernaldo-de-Quirós, Francisco José Estupiñá Puig, Francisco Javier Labrador Encinas and Marta Labrador-Méndez
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Background: Empirically supported psychological treatments (ESTs) have demonstrated their effectiveness and clinical utility for the treatment of anxiety disorders (AD) but few studies have assessed the factors associated with premature termination in ESTs for AD. Method: The goals of this study, which involved 291 patients with a diagnosis of anxiety who had received outpatient psychological care, consisted of examining premature termination of treatment (PTT), comparing the individual characteristics of the patients who successfully completed treatment with those who terminate it prematurely, and analyzing the predictors of PTT. Results: Of the sample, 8.2% refused to start treatment, 28.5% dropped out before completing it, and 63.2% successfully completed treatment. In 50% of the cases, PTT occurred during the first 7 sessions, and in 80%, before the 15th session. Alternatively, 76.4% of the patients who complete treatment successfully do so before session 20. We found that patients with PTT attended a significantly lower number of treatment sessions and attended the sessions more irregularly and unpunctually. Presenting a generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), problems with punctuality and with task performance were predictors of failure to complete treatment. Conclusions: These findings suggest the need to reinforce early adherence to treatments to help patients remain in treatment.
Terminación prematura del tratamiento psicológico para los trastornos de ansiedad en el contexto clínico. Antecedentes: los tratamientos psicológicos empíricamente apoyados (TEAs) han demostrado utilidad clínica para el abordaje de los trastornos de ansiedad (TA), pero pocos estudios han evaluado los factores asociados a la terminación prematura (TPT). Método: se examinaron las tasas de TPT, sus predictores y las características de aquellos pacientes que terminaron prematuramente frente a los que completan, en una muestra de 291 pacientes, en atención ambulatoria y diagnosticados de algún trastorno de ansiedad. Resultados: el 8,2% de los participantes rechazaron comenzar el tratamiento, el 28,5% abandonaron antes de completarlo y el 63,2% completaron con éxito. El 50% de los casos de TPT se produce durante las 7 primeras sesiones y en el 80% antes de la sesión 15. El 76,4% de los pacientes que finalizan con éxito su tratamiento lo hacen antes de la sesión 20. El grupo TPT acudió a un número significativamente menor de sesiones y asistieron de manera más irregular e impuntual. Resultaron predictores de no completar el tratamiento presentar un Trastorno de Ansiedad Generalizada, problemas de puntualidad y en la ejecución de tareas. Conclusiones: los resultados apuntan la necesidad de reforzar la adhesión temprana a los tratamientos para ayudar a los pacientes a mantenerse en los mismos.
SPANISH
ENGLISH
https://doi.org/10.7334/psicothema2015.201