Author(s)

Inge Seiffge-Krenke

Department of Psychology, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany.

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of psychodynamic treatment in reducing symptoms in depressive and anxious adolescents. In a 3-wave longitudinal study, a sample of 303 adolescent patients in treatment was investigated. Their parents filled in a questionnaire (CBCL) in order to assess symptomatology (anxiety and depression) at three waves (beginning, middle and end of therapy) with approximately 1 year in between. The results clearly demonstrate that psychodynamic treatment showed a moderate to high effect in reducing symptomatology. For depression, the effect ranged between η² = 0.40 and η² = 0.71; for anxiety, the effect ranged between η² = 0.61 and η² = 0.78. Anxiety symptoms of the adolescent patients were reduced especially in the later course of the therapy.

Psychodynamic Therapy, Adolescent Patients, Depression, Anxiety, Parents’ Report

Seiffge-Krenke, I. (2020) Depressive and Anxious Adolescents: Do They Profit from Psychodynamic Therapy?. Psychology, 11, 563-571. doi: 10.4236/psych.2020.114037.