Resumen de Pattern of changes during treatment: A comparison between a positive psychology intervention and a cognitive behavioral treatment for clinical depression
Irene López Gómez, Covadonga Chaves, Gonzalo Hervás Torres, Carmelo Vázquez Valverde
Research on psychotherapy has traditionally focused on analyzing changes between the beginning and the end of a treatment. Few studies have addressed the pattern of therapeutic change during treatment. The aim of this study was to examine the pattern of changes in clinical and well-being variables during a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program compared with an integrative positive psychology interventions program for clinical depression IPPI-D. 128 women with a diagnosis of major depression or dysthymia were assigned to the CBT or PPI group. A measure of depressive symptoms (i.e., Beck Depression Inventory) and well-being (i.e., Pemberton Happiness Index) were administered four times: at the beginning and end of the treatment, as well as during treatment (at sessions 4 and 7). Through mixed-model repeated measures ANOVAs, both depressive symptoms (p < .001, partial η2 = .52) and well-being (p < .001, partial η2 = .29) showed a significant improvement through the four assessment times. No significant interactions between time and treatment modality were found (ps > .08). The percentage of improvement in depressive symptoms in the first treatment period was higher than in the later ones (ps < .005). On the contrary, well-being showed a more gradual improvement (p = .15). These results highlight the importance of assessing the pattern of changes in symptoms and well-being separately.
