[Some patient characteristics as determinants of therapeutic success in inpatient psychotherapy]

In a study conducted by the Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine in Isny-Neutrauchburg, two samples (N = 760 and 109) were used to examine the question of the extent to which the patient characteristics of locus of control, degree of impairment, age, sex, and educational level can affect the results of therapy. The data reveal a remarkably clear relationship between educational level, locus of control, and therapy motivation on the one hand, and the symptoms gradient on the other. Patients with a low level of education are seen by therapists (highly significant) as having little motivation to engage in therapy. At the time of both measurements (at the end of treatment/after 5 years) they show a significantly smaller reduction of symptoms. At the same time, this group of patients exhibits a higher degree of externality in the perception of the locus of control. The conclusion is reached that a stronger sense of being controlled from the outside among patients with a low level of education leads to discrepancies in the therapeutic relationship as far as goals are concerned and that this affects therapy negatively.