Therapeutic alliance and treatment outcome in the outpatient treatment of urban adolescents: The role of callous-unemotional traits.

ABSTRACT: Callous-unemotional (CU) traits designate a unique subset of youth with externalizing psychopathology who have a severe pattern of aggressive behavior and tend to have worse outcomes in treatment. However, little research has addressed how CU traits relate to different components of psychotherapy, such as the therapeutic alliance. The current study examined the role of CU traits in predicting therapeutic alliance in 59 adolescents (M age = 15.3, 51% female, 64% Hispanic American, 15% African American) who were part of a larger randomized naturalistic trial of outpatient behavioral psychotherapy. Multilevel regression analysis further investigated the role of therapeutic alliance in predicting treatment outcome (as measured by self-reported delinquency) and the moderating role of CU traits.

SUBMITTER: Mattos LA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5425328 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature