Intake Characteristics as Predictors of Psychotherapy Outcome in a Practice Research Network in Argentina

Abstract

There are few studies exploring intake diagnostic characteristics as predictors of change in integrative naturalistic settings.The aim of this study is to explore baseline variables at the intake process and establish the predictive value of the individualtrajectories of the patients. We recruited 259 patients undergoing an integrative psychotherapy network of psychotherapistsfrom Buenos Aires, Argentina. Every therapist completed the intake form of each patient involved in the routineoutcome monitoring. Thereafter step-wise regressions based on forward selection strategies were used, in order to identifymeaningful baseline predictors of patients’ clinical evolution, derived from the intake process. The selected predictorswere social support network, subjective distress, the initial measure of clinical distress, unemployment, sociocultural statusand reactance. When including those six variables in a multilevel model, the results indicate that social support network,subjective distress, and the initial measure of clinical distress were significant predictors of the trajectories of OQ-30,whereas unemployment, sociocultural status and reactance were not significant. The results regarding social support networkare in line with the literature, while results of socioeconomic status (unemployment and sociocultural level) movein an opposite direction in comparison to the available evidence. Moreover, the mental health findings (initial OQ-30 andsubjective distress) confirm the contradictory body of literature produced in this domain. Finally, reactance seems to be asignificant predictor in previous study in contradiction of our results. Overall, this endeavor constitutes important but preliminaryevidence to enhance the production of bottom-up science within practice research networks in the global south.