Readiness to change as a moderator of therapy outcome in patients with somatoform disorders

A considerable amount of patients with somatoform disorders do not benefit from psychotherapy as much as expected. Our aim was to explore whether readiness to change moderates the relationship between the intensity of symptoms and therapy outcome in the early stages of psychotherapy.

144 patients with somatoform disorders received an outpatient cognitive-behavioural intervention. Symptom intensity was measured with the Screening for Somatoform Disorders (SOMS-7). For readiness to change, a German modification of the Pain Stages of Change Questionnaire (PSOCQ) was used, which comprises four subscales (FF-STABS). Regression analyses were carried out, with baseline symptoms and the readiness to change subscales as predictors and symptom reduction as the outcome variable.

Moderation analyses revealed significant interaction effects between baseline symptoms and the precontemplation subscale, as well as between baseline symptoms and the action subscale. For preparation and maintenance, no significant interaction effects were found.

The results suggest that readiness to change is a variable that can be used to differentiate between patients, with low precontemplation and action scores indicating a better chance for positive outcome, even with high initial impairment. Rather than using readiness to change sum scores, the sub-aspects of this construct should be the subject of future research.