Within-patient perceptions of alliance and attunement: Associations with progress in psychotherapy

The association between quality of therapeutic alliance and treatment outcomes in teletherapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

The strength of the therapeutic alliance is widely understood to impact treatment outcomes, however, the alliance-outcome relationship in teletherapy has remained relatively unexamined. The aim of this meta-analysis is to systematically summarize the relationship between therapeutic alliance and treatment outcomes in teletherapy with adult patients conducted via videoconferencing or telephone.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic search of the databases PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, ProQuest Dissertation Databases, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and PubMed for studies published before June 26, 2023. We identified 31 studies with 34 independent samples (4862 participants).

RESULTS

The average weighted effect size was 0.15, p = .001, 95% CI [0.07, 0.24], k = 34. reflecting a small effect of therapeutic alliance on mental health outcomes. There was significant heterogeneity in the effect sizes, which was driven by between-study differences in the alliance-outcome correlation. The alliance-outcome effect was larger when the alliance was measured late in treatment and when the outcome was measured from the patient's perspective.

CONCLUSION

Very few teletherapy treatment studies were identified that initially reported on alliance-outcome associations, underlining that this is an under-researched area. The association between alliance-teletherapy outcomes in this meta-analysis was small but significant, and somewhat weaker than the alliance-outcome associations reported for in-person treatments and other online interventions. This might indicate that there are other processes at play in teletherapy that explain variance of treatment outcomes, or that the therapist (and the relationship) has less influence on the treatment outcomes than in in-person therapy.

Validation of the Working Alliance Inventory- Short Form for Patient (WAI-S-P) in Peruvian Adults

Background

Although the importance of the therapeutic alliance in the treatment process and health outcomes is recognized, so far, there has been no evaluation in the Peruvian context that considers possible individual differences that could influence this assessment.

Purpose

This study assessed the psychometric properties of the WAI-S-P in a sample of individuals from Peru who are receiving psychological therapy. Furthermore, a network analysis was conducted to investigate the direct relationships between the therapeutic alliance and several relevant sociodemographic variables.

Methods

The short version of the Working Alliance Inventory was used in a sample of 241 participants (Mage=32.58, SD=12.67) that had attended less than 6 sessions. Three models were considered, including a three-factor and a two-factor correlated model, as well as a bifactor model. In addition, a network of partial associations was created including the overall therapeutic alliance, sex, age, and number of psychotherapeutic sessions.

Results

The bifactor model, with an overall therapeutic alliance factor and two specific factors ("contact" and "contract"), better fit the data. Invariance of the structure by sex and age showed equitable measurement. On the other hand, network analysis revealed a positive correlation between total session attendance and therapeutic alliance. Men reported higher therapeutic alliance, while women had higher total session attendance.

Conclusion

The results of this study suggest that the therapeutic alliance is better represented by a bifactor model and demonstrates invariance across sex and age in Peruvian adults. Additionally, findings indicate that differences in life experiences and the sex of patients may need to be verified in future studies to better understand nuanced needs in forming therapeutic alliances at least in the early stages of session attendance.