Patient personality and time-limited group psychotherapy for complicated grief

We used a randomized clinical trial to investigate the interaction of two p atient personality characteristics (quality of object relations [QOR] and p sychological mindedness [PM]) with two forms of time-limited, short-term gr oup therapy (interpretive and supportive)for 139 Psychiatric outpatients wi th complicated grief. findings differed depending on the outcome variable ( e.g., grief symptoms, general symptoms) and the statistical criterion (e.g. , statistical significance, clinical significance, magnitude of effect). Pa tients in both therapies improved. For grief symptoms, a significant intera ction effect was found for QOR High-QOR patients improved more in interpret ive therapy and low-QOR Patients improved more in supportive therapy. A mai n effect was found for PM. High-PM patients improved more in both therapies . For general symptoms, clinical significance favored interpretive therapy over supportive therapy. Clinical implications concerning patient-treatment matching are discussed.