Therapists' emotional reactions to anxious inpatients during integrated behavioral-psychodynamic treatment: A psychometric evaluation of a feeling word checklist

The purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure of a feeling checklist purported to measure therapists' emotional reactions to their pat ients, and to evaluate psychometrically the factor-based scales. Therapists completed the checklist after both a behavioral and a psychodynamic phase of a treatment program for inpatients with panic disorder, agoraphobia, and other phobic disorders. The results of factor analysis revealed three dist inct dimensions: interest-boredom, insecurity-security, and anger. The corr esponding three subscales proved to have a satisfactory internal consistenc y, and they correlated strongly with their respective factors. The criterio n-oriented validity of the insecurity and anger subscales was supported by their ability to differentiate between completers and noncompleters of the program. The three subscales correlated poorly with DSM-III-R personality d isorder indices. More subjectively experienced interest and less subjective ly experienced anger on the part of the therapists toward patients were rel ated to a stronger reduction in the patients' avoidance behavior in the one -year follow-up period.