Clinicians' Predictions of Outcome of Psychotherapy: A Trial of a Prognostic Index
ARTHUR H. AUERBACH M.D.1,
LESTER LUBORSKY PH.D.2, , and
MARILYN JOHNSON 3
1 Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa. 19104
2 Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa. 19104
3 Research Assistant, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa. 19104
The authors describe the Prognostic Index, a clinical form for rating patients on 31 variables believed to be significant in predicting outcome of psychotherapy. Forty-seven patients were rated on this instrument at the beginning of therapy. Factor analysis of the Prognostic Index revealed the five main dimensions that its 31 variables represent. The outcome of therapy was significantly predicted by the patients' scores on three fators: General Emotional Health, Intellectual Achievement, and Acute Depression.
