The single case archive: Review of a multitheoretical online database of published peer-reviewed single-case studies

Area of Science:

• Psychotherapy research
• Clinical psychology
• Research methodology

Background:

• Case study methods are vital for understanding psychotherapy complexity and bridging the science-practice gap.
• The Single Case Archive (SCA) was developed to improve access to existing case study research.
• Facilitating academic, clinical, and educational use of case study data is a key objective.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create a comprehensive, accessible database of psychotherapy case studies.
• To inventory and map characteristics of individual cases within psychotherapy research.
• To stimulate methodological advancements in case study research.

Main Methods:

• Systematic screening of peer-reviewed psychotherapy journals and snowball sampling were employed.
• Inclusion criteria were rigorously applied to select relevant cases.
• The Inventory for Basic Information in Single Cases was used to map study, patient, therapist, and therapy characteristics.

Main Results:

• The SCA database contains 3,471 cases from 175 journals (1955-2019).
• Cases represent diverse theoretical backgrounds, patient demographics, presenting problems, and treatments.
• Significant variation exists in information completeness; ethical considerations require attention.

Conclusions:

• The SCA is a unique, searchable resource for psychotherapy case studies.
• It facilitates meta-studies, reviews, and methodological development in the field.
• Increased attention to ethical considerations and data completeness in case studies is recommended.