Title:
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Changes in object relations following time focused group psychotherapy with women who experienced childhood trauma
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This study explored the changes in internal representations of object relations,
interpersonal behaviours and psychiatric symptomatology before and after
psychodynamic group psychotherapy with women who had a history of early
childhood abuse. The design of this study was quasi -experimental. Seventeen
participants in the treatment group and ten participants in the control group were
investigated to evaluate the effects of therapy on (1) intrapsychic functioning; (2)
interpersonal problems and (3) psychological symptomatology. Women with a history
of childhood abuse were screened by clinical interview for suitability for the treatment
progranime and participation in the research. One group participated in group
psychotherapy based on psychodynamic principles including object-relations theory.
The control group received no group intervention. Participants in both groups had
been in individual therapy and were comparable demographically and in terms of .
baseline performance on the dependent variables. Participants in both groups were
assessed before the start of the therapy programme (Time 1) and one year later (Time
2). The specific objectives ofthe research were:
1) to measure intrapsychic,interpersonal and symptomatic changes using the PORT,
Percept-genetic object-relations test (Nilsson & Svensson, 1999),Inventory of
Interpersonal Problems-64 (IIP-64 ,Horowitz et al.,2000)and the Symptom Check
List Revised(SCL-90-R, Derogatis,1994) .
2)' to compare and contrast treatment with matched controls on the measures used
3) to compare and contrast intrapsychic with interpersonal and symptomatic changes
4) to evaluate the effectiveness ofthe intervention.
Participants who received group psychotherapy showed statistical and clinically
significant changes on the Attachment theme of the PORT (Nilsson & Svensson,
1999) and this measure distinguished the treatment group from the control group more
clearly than measures of interpersonal problems or psychological symptomatology
The study supported the hypothesis that psychodynamic group psychotherapy leads to
changes in personality structure as measured by the PORT that extends beyond shifts
in manifest symptoms and behaviour as measured by the SCL-90-R and IIP-64.
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