Impact messages of depressed outpatients as perceived by their significant others: profiles, therapeutic change, and relationship to outcome

Abstract

Whereas previous interpersonal research in depression has frequently used self-reports, patients' impact on others is rarely analyzed. We analyzed impacts of 180 depressed psychotherapy outpatients out of 832 diagnostically heterogeneous patients as rated by their significant others. Depressed patients were perceived as more submissive, hostile-submissive, and friendly-submissive, and as less dominant and friendly-dominant than patients with other principle disorders. After therapy, the 59 depressed patients whose significant others also provided data after treatment were perceived as less submissive (friendly-submissive, submissive, hostile-submissive) and more dominant and friendly-dominant. Whereas a decrease in submissiveness and hostile-submissiveness was associated with positive outcomes, decrease in friendly-submissiveness was unrelated. Cluster analyses suggested four distinct interpersonal subgroups. We discuss these results in terms of interpersonal theory and interpersonal assessment in depression therapy.