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Ego Impairment Index (EII‐2) as a predictor of outcome in short‐ and long‐term psychotherapy during a 5‐year follow‐up
Author(s) -
Stenius Jaakko,
Hein Erkki,
Lindfors Olavi,
Holma Juha,
Knekt Paul
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.23332
Subject(s) - psychodynamic psychotherapy , psychology , psychotherapist , anxiety , psychodynamics , rorschach test , id, ego and super ego , clinical psychology , psychiatry
Objective This study examined the predictive ability of the Rorschach‐based Ego Impairment Index (EII‐2) on outcome of psychotherapy in different types and durations of therapy. Method A total of 326 outpatients suffering from depressive or anxiety disorders were randomized into receiving solution‐focused ( n = 97), short‐term psychodynamic ( n = 101), or long‐term psychodynamic psychotherapy ( n = 128). Psychotherapy outcome assessments during the 5‐year follow‐up period covered psychiatric symptoms, social functioning, and work ability. Results Lower EII‐2 values, which indicate less problematic ego functioning, were found to predict faster improvement in both short‐term therapies as compared to long‐term psychotherapy. Conclusion The results provide preliminary support for the utility of EII‐2 as a complementary measure to interview‐based methods for selecting between short‐ and long‐term therapies.