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The Second Sheffield Psychotherapy Project: rationale, design and preliminary outcome data
D A Shapiro1, M Barkham, G E Hardy
1Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, UK.
The British Journal of Medical Psychology
|June 1, 1990
Summary
This study on psychotherapy for major depressive disorder found both eight and 16 sessions of cognitive/behavioral or relationship-oriented therapy yielded similar improvements. Exploratory therapy showed an edge for interpersonal difficulties.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Psychotherapy Research
Background:
- Enhancing cost-efficiency in psychotherapy research is crucial.
- Dissemination of research design and data sharing can improve efficiency.
- Incorporating process measures in comparative outcome studies is valuable.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present the rationale and design of the second Sheffield psychotherapy project.
- To detail process and outcome measures for a large-scale psychotherapy investigation.
- To explore the comparative effectiveness of different therapy durations and types for major depressive disorder.
Main Methods:
- A 2x2 factorial design was used with 120 participants.
- Participants received either 8 or 16 sessions of prescriptive (cognitive/behavioral) or exploratory (relationship-oriented) therapy.
- Preliminary outcome data from 48 clients were analyzed due to ethical considerations.
Main Results:
- Substantial clinical improvement was observed across all treatment conditions.
- Both therapy methods and durations showed similar overall effectiveness.
- Exploratory therapy demonstrated greater efficacy in addressing interpersonal difficulties compared to prescriptive therapy.
Conclusions:
- Psychotherapy for major depressive disorder can achieve significant clinical improvement with varying durations and modalities.
- The study design facilitates collaborative research through data sharing and analysis.
- Further research is encouraged to build upon these findings by analyzing process data and developing comparable datasets.